The women with many names: Tani, Tania, Tatianna
by Meg-Alice
Summary: This is a King Arthur Fanfiction based on Tania and her friends (OFC) who joins the Knights and Arthur after Badon Hill. In my universe, all knights are alive and this story follows Tania and how her appearance at the Fort effects the lives of everyone there. The main pairing is Lancelot/OFC, however it follows all of the knights and the development of their lives too.
1. Chapter 1

The women with many names: Tani, Tania, Tatianna.

 **Hi! So this is my first ever fanfic! I used to swear i would never be bold enough to write one but here we are! I have been inspired by all the other writers in the fandom and decided to be brave, so please be kind. However if you get annoyed by historical inaccuracy, then this may not be the fic for you. I will try my best but i cannot make any promises. In this version all nights are alive and well and it is set after the battle of Badon Hill.**

 **Disclaimer: I dont own any rights to the movie of King Arthur, however i do own Tania and the other unknown characters.**

 **Enjoy...**

Chapter 1

A young girl, no more than 8 summers old, took up her usual seat by the roaring fire and looked towards the silent figure in the corner expectantly. He had promised. Every year he had promised that when she was old enough she would hear the stories. The stories of her mother, the stories of her family, the stories that explained how she came to sit here today gazing up and waiting for the legends that were notorious the world over, waiting to hear how destiny and true love had triumphed in the end.

He couldn't help but smile. After all, every year for 8 years, she had sat by the fire, her auburn hair dancing in the firelight as if it was mirroring its every move. She was her mother's daughter that was for sure, the fire in her hair matched the fire in her heart. The defiance in her eyes challenging him to turn her down for yet another year and leave the stories untold. She was trying to be patient and respectful but alas he knew that at any moment she would ask: 'Tell me about my mother, tell me about her and the Knights of the Round Table, tell me about how they met, tell me why they are inseparable and last of all tell me how they changed the world like people say that they did?' And so with one resigning breath he moved to settle on the carpet next to her and began his tale.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I seem to have the writing itch at the moment and want to get as much done before i go away for 3 months as i may not be able to post during that time ! I hope that you are enjoying it so far and do not worry the knights and Arthur are in the next chapter so you will meet them soon !**

Chapter 2

 **TANIA**

Tania sat atop her horse at the top of the hill, looking down she searched. She searched for the fort, the infamous Fort of Badon Hill, where the newly crowned King Arthur resided. The weather however was not helping matters. The wind whipped around her pulling her cloak taught, the wind screeching through the pine trees and straight passed her ears like a banshee ready to kill. The water droplets, or what could be better described as ice droplets stung her fair skin and matted her long tangle of auburn hair. She had thought that removing her hood would help her see better but right now she was seriously regretting that decision. There was a huff to her right, she turned, and despite the conditions she couldn't help but laugh, as there at her side was Marie. Marie as usual had zero patience, Tania knew that she too often didn't take kindly to waiting but there was no one who took it quite as badly as Marie. To look at them from a distance you could easily mistake them for sisters, even twins. They were both matching in height, both had matching auburn hair, matching brown eyes and, what many realised too late, a matching temper. But to look at them now it would be plainly obvious that Marie was the current grumpiest out of the two. She had had enough with the darn weather, she had been cursing it all day with muffled insults and threats that were just taken by the wind as if they were no more than hot air. She was pissed off that she couldn't even swear successfully, and so at the top of this hill she had had enough. She was soaked through and through, even her undergarments were sopping wet. Her hair was plastered all over her face, in her eyes and unfortunately her mouth, which again affected her ability to curse effectively, but what was even more annoying was that Tania was smiling as if the weather was nothing more than a slight inconvenience, she understood why of course, Tania had waited years for this moment, to see her brother again and to finally come back home. And as annoying as it was, she let her best friend smile on; but that did not stop her from letting out a huff so that Tania would know that she was not enjoying their current situation. Feeling guilty for laughing at her Tania tapped her lightly on the shoulder and pointed.

Down below in the swirling mist that had descended as the sun had begun to set, stood a dark shape with a harsh outline. Its size was on such a great scale that Tania knew that it could only be the fort. She looked now to her left to confirm that Farica had seen it to. Farica nodded with the smallest hint of smile, she too had seen their destination and, for her as well as Tania, home. Tania knew that it was the biggest reaction she would get from Farica, she had known Farica all her life and knew that the women was never keen on showing her emotions. Farica was older than Tania and Marie, but that did not make the slightest bit of difference when it came to the deepness of their friendship. Farica had been introduced to Tania when Tania was but a babe in her mothers arms, she had been told very sternly that she was to be Tanya's lady in waiting, her confidant and support for the rest of her life. Thankfully despite the imposed relationship that had been thrust on her at barely ten years old, their friendship blossomed and they have rarely been apart since. Farica knew that many serving maids hated their mistresses and she always thanked the gods that she had been given someone like Tania. Very early on she knew she would give up her life in order to protect her and would serve her till the day she died. Adjusting herself in her saddle and with one last look to the sky, Farica turned to her companions and announced 'It is time, time to grab our destiny with both hands and make our mark on this earth.' Tania grinned nodding her head while Marie had started wooping and hollering like a mad thing, claiming that 'Damn right they would make their mark,' and together with the end of their trip in sight they kicked their horses into a gallop and rode to the start of their new lives.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **LANCELOT**

He closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, how did he get himself into these messes he wondered. Sitting with ale in hand at the tavern, Lancelot thought back on the decisions and reasons behind what had led him to this point. The most obvious reason that came to mind was his devotion to Arthur, when it came to his best friend he would do anything that he wanted. He may sometimes put up a fight or argue that it was a bad idea, but in the end he would always relent. Arthur was his brother, his family and now his King. Which was why when Arthur asked to speak to him about an important matter in private that affected the entire Kingdom and its security, Lancelot knew deep down that whatever it was, it bothered Arthur greatly to have to ask. The second reason he could think of, not that he would ever admit it, was Guinevere. If he had believed in this Jesus Christ he would swear at him with the foulest language that he knew. Why did his heart long for something…for someone…that he could never have. But oh how she tempted him so. He saw the longing looks she gave him in the passageways and whenever she thought no one was watching. Lancelot knew that he could never go through with it, betray Arthur like that and that was why he had decided to agree to Arthur's latest plan. The third and final reason he had ended up in this bizarre joke of a situation was the general morale of the fort. The initial elation and happiness that had engulfed the Fort after their win at Badon Hill and the Crowning of King Arthur was slowly slipping away. The numbers at the fort had swelled immensely, with people looking for protection increasing the tension and demand on supplies. The knights were getting angsty, they now had to work alongside their former enemies and hadn't had a fight or a skirmish in months. It was less action and more political debate, which apart from Arthur the others hated. Arthur was drowning in things to do and problems to solve leaving Lancelot to try and guide the Knights and keep morale high. He constantly reminded them how lucky they all were to be alive and that they should be thanking the Gods for the life they had bestowed on them all but yet there was something wrong, something missing. Sighing again he opened his eyes, the tavern was starting to fill up for the evening, meaning that very soon he would have his fellow knights as company. He wondered how he would tell them, would he tell them now, this evening or wait until everything was finalised? He was brought out of his reverie when he heard a booming voice calling his name. 'Why Bors do ya have to be so loud? Im only across the table no need to shout.' Lancelot yelled back. 'I see someone is in a grumpy mood this evening, what's the matter, your favourite tavern wench not working tonight?' Bors replied back with his usual grin on his face. Before Lancelot could reply with a snarky comment of his own the others arrived and took over the conversation turning the topic towards the weather which like Lancelot's mood was dark and quite frankly awful. They were all sat at their usual table, the one in the corner by the stairs. They liked being able to survey the room and watch all the comings and goings, its not that they were nosy, just vigilant. And none were more vigilant than the Scout. He had overhead Arthurs conversation with Lancelot this morning, not intentionally but he had heard it nonetheless. He knew it would end badly, it was a terrible idea that was going to have a terrible ending. He did however respect Lancelot for agreeing to it, many things could be said about Lancelot but you could never doubt his loyalty to Arthur; that was always a dead cert. But in this case, well, he knew that the dashing second in command would live to regret his decision.

Lancelot glanced over to Tristan in the darkest part of the corner, he didn't know why but he had felt Tristan staring at him. Confused as to what the hell the scout might want he turned back to his mug of ale and listened in on the conversation taking place around the table. He could tell straight away that everyone was taking the piss out of Galahad, being the youngest he was always the easiest target, and always, without fail would rise to the bait. This time Gawain was retelling a story about how Galahad had been rejected yet again by Connie earlier that day. Bors naturally found it hilarious that he could be rejected by a tavern maid while Dagonet just clapped him on the back with sympathy. It was at this point that Arthur entered the tavern, it was the first time he had been in weeks. He had been too busy to socialise or to see his Knights and had finally realised this day that being stuck indoors by himself working was not something he enjoyed doing. He nodded to Lancelot while taking his seat at the end of the table and relaxed listening to the laughter of his men. He was glad to see them in a good mood for once, because as absent as he may often be, Lancelot had dutifully been filling him in on any developments and he knew that morale was going downhill fast.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **TANIA, FARICA, MARIE**

The normal deafening noise of the clattering of hooves; that should have been expected with three thoroughbred horses charging over the cobbles and riding into the centre of the Fort, was muffled by the howling wind and the rain, meaning that the women's arrival wasn't really noticed by any of the local residents. Most of the inhabitants of the Fort were sheltering inside with their shutters closed waiting for yet another storm to be over, any that had ventured outside were more focusing on getting to their own destination than observing any newcomers. Tania preferred it this way, she wanted to make their arrival as small and subtle as possible with no fuss and somewhere private where her brother could get over the shock of seeing her so unexpectedly. Spotting a tavern ahead she urged her horse onward for one last final push, Bellona (Derived from Latin 'bellare' meaning 'to fight'), her ever tempestuous mare, snorted and threw her head back in her typical defiance but as per usual complied with her riders request anyway. Tania fought the urge to roll her eyes at Bellona's display, after all her defiant nature was what drew them together in the first place, mainly due to the fact that Tania was the only one with the skill to actually ride her without being thrown off. Maia, (meaning of great in Latin, and goddess of spring) Farica's new mount and Oskar (Celtic for 'fighting jumper') Marie's trustworthy steed, surged forward following their leader before coming to an abrupt stop about 500m further down the narrowed street. Dismounting Tania stretched her legs before turning and beckoning her companions to follow her inside.

Marie could not have jumped off of Oskar any quicker. Her bum was sore and her legs knackered. She did love to ride; being fast and reckless while racing Tania through the trees certainly made any day more fun, but after riding solidly for a week her body had taken one hell of beating and she wanted a nice warm bath and some wine. With one parting glance at Oskar and confirmation that he would be well looked after she made her way through the door into the tavern behind Tania. Standing in the doorway she quickly realised that most of the benches and tables were taken, leaving just the stools at the bar. Pushing forward through the crowd she couldn't help but notice that it was mainly made up of men, she pulled her cloak together to help hide her figure and dodged eye contact as much as possible trying to reduce the risk of being identified as a women. It's not that she was ashamed of her figure or her gender, she just knew that as soon as people realised she was a women, making her way through the crowd would be much harder trying to dodge groping hands. Back over her shoulder she noticed the other two doing the same and couldn't help but smirk. Once they were seated they could relax and assess the tavern more carefully, but until then better to avoid a fight, after all that's would it would become if any man put their hands on her without permission and she knew with 100% certainty it would be the same for the others. Placing her hands firmly on the bar she looked straight at the redhead standing behind it, from first impressions she seemed nice enough and certainly was tough enough to handle all these drunkards in the tavern, it was at that point she decided she would make this women her friend. 'One jug of wine and three mugs if you would' Marie said announcing her arrival. Before she even had time to take off her cloak and sit down, the drinks she had requested were in front of her. 'Blimey you're quick!'…. 'I mean, thank you very much it is greatly appreciated. Long ride and all that….' The women behind the bar was evidently taken aback by her new patrons chatty behaviour, especially when she didn't recognise the women or her friends who had just sat down to her left. But before she had a chance to respond Marie had stuck out her hand continuing her speech… 'My name is Marie, this is Tania and Farica, its very nice to meet you!' The other two nodded, with amusement dancing in their eyes, the dark haired one put her head in her hands while the other red head mouthed her apologies.

It wasn't that Farica disliked taverns, its more that she wasn't a fan of the forced socialisation that came along with it. Plus the noise, it was always so noisy and full of drunk people causing a ruckus. She wanted food and then her bed, if Tania wanted to find her brother this evening then she would go along for support but anything else would have to wait till tomorrow. Taking her seat she grabbed her mug and looked up to see a slightly startled bar maid being bombarded by an enthusiastic Marie. Putting her head in her hands she shook her head. What was it with Marie and always wanting to make friends? Taking a couple of deep breaths she composed herself before raising her head to shush Marie. 'Shush, Marie, the poor lady is probably as busy as hell, the last things she needs is us distracting her,' turning her head to the women in question she smiled before stating 'all we need bother you about now is the possibility of stew and any spare beds.' 'Well your in luck' the lady replied 'there is more than enough stew to go round and by chance we have 3 beds left, oh and the names Van, short for Vanora. Yell if you need anything else, Connie here will grab what you need.' A second women who had just appeared behind the bar nodded, indicating she had heard the requests before heading back into the kitchen. Order completed, Farica settled back into her seat and started her normal routine of scanning the room. Looking passed the obvious crowd of drunks in the middle of the room, she spotted three exits. One where they came in at the front, one at the side and one out the back through the kitchen. She had also located the stairs and the easiest routes to get to all of them in emergency. Sensing a movement by the stairs she whipped her head back around only just catching sight of a figure retreating into the darkness of the far corner. Eyes still fixed in the far corner she noticed a quieter table. The table in question was surrounded by a group of men all of which were heavily armed and were of a much more severe nature than anyone else in the tavern. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew nonetheless that they were by far the most dangerous men in the room. However, as dangerous as they potentially could be, they didn't seem to be bothered with anyone else past their own little group. They still seemed to be having a laugh and messing about with the maids, but were not loud and obnoxious like the main crowd who were all vying for attention and showing off. She found herself fascinated by their behaviour and could have stayed watching them for hours when she suddenly felt Tania stiffen beside her. Turning back around she berated herself, she had got distracted and in that time a much more real threat had approached them. Just by looking in Tania's eyes she knew that her plans for a quiet evening were not going to happen. 'Darn it' she swore under her breath 'I do not have the energy for this.'

Collapsing onto the middle stool Tania couldn't help but smile. She was home, no doubt about it. It had been so many years she was afraid that she wouldn't recognise it or that it would feel new and uncomfortable. Shaking off her cloak she listened in to Marie's jovial introduction to the women behind the bar. She couldn't help but grin, she mouthed an apology for her friend's chattiness before trying not to laugh at Farica's motherly shushing. Even though Farica would never complain Tania knew she was exhausted, hell, they all were. Leaning forward onto the bar Tania shut her eyes, she was trying to decide whether or not to find her brother this evening when she heard raised voices further down the bar. With Marie humming away into her mug of wine and Farica surveying the room she took it upon herself to figure out what was going on. A group of heavily inebriated men had approached the bar further down, which in itself wasn't a problem, the problem was the way they were yelling at the women behind the bar. Remembering that the womens name was Vanora she yelled down to ask if she was alright while glaring daggers at the men in question. It wasn't till she noticed a knife in one of man's hands and the swords that hung from their belts that she realised that this women Vanora may be in more trouble than she had originally thought. By this point both Marie and Farica had picked up on the shift of body language next to them and looked to Tania to see what was up. Knowing Marie like she did, Tania tried to put a settling hand on her shoulder while simultaneously working out her next step. Unfortunately by the time her hand had reached Marie, Marie had launched herself to her feet and was marching towards the men in question. 'How dare you threaten an unarmed women you total bastard!' She heard Marie roar 'If you want to fight a women why don't you come over here you cowards' Still seated Tania saw Farica rise to her feet to try and intercept their wild friend who at this point was yelling every cuss word she could think of. Seeing that Farica had seized Marie, Tania hoped the situation could be deescalated, that was until she heard one of the men spit out 'Imma kill you, you little bitch, you and your whore friends.' That was it, Tania had had enough, no one threatened her friends like that. They were here sisters, her family, and any threat to them was crossing a line. Ever so slowly, almost as if moving in slow motion, she kicked back her chair, slammed her hands on the bar and stood up.

The entire tavern had gone silent all waiting with bated breath to see what would happen next. It was incredibly unusual for a small group of women to be sitting alone at the bar let alone challenging Fenwic and his mates. The only people who dared challenge him were the knights but tonight they had been beaten to it by 3 unknown women. Everyone knew Fenwic had gone too far, nobody threatened Vanora, she was married to one of Arthur's knights for crying out loud, plus the fact she had one hell of a mean slap. But these women didn't even seem to know that, it was clear that they had taken offence to the fact that it was 3 armed men against one unarmed lady and by the look in their eyes they were pretty pissed off and after what the entire tavern witnessed next it was very clear where they stood on the matter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for the reviews and the follows! You have no idea how much that means to me!! I'm currently away for a couple of months in Africa so I apologise that my postings might be a little sporadic !!**

 **Tristan**

Tristan was bored. He was bored listening to the other knights joking about trying to cheer themselves up, he was bored of there being no action, and he was 100% Bored of the constant talk and politics.

Life was much simpler on the battlefield, it was life or it was death. He respected Arthur for everything he had achieved but the boredom was slowly eating away at him. To kill time he had kept up his patrols around the fort and surrounding areas, just like before, just like when they were at war. Some of the others said his constant patrols weren't necessary, that he was just trying to escape the endless meetings and that there was no known enemy out there. This to some extent was true, he really did hate sitting listening to people with no experience drone on about what they thought was best. Arthur said it was part of cooperating with all the different factions and leaders of the New Britain that had risen out of the war at Badon Hill and Romes withdrawal; and that listening to everyone helped build consensus. But Tristan hated being told how to do his job. He was the best at what he did and he knew it. Thankfully, Arthur agreed that patrols should be continued, even during the peace that seemed to have descended on the land, and like Tristan, also agreed that it could dissolve at any minute and that being caught unawares was a rookie mistake. It doesn't matter how calm and peaceful life seems, your guard must always be up, waiting for the next attack, because peace doesn't last forever and at some point there will be another attack.

Sitting in the tavern in his usual seat in the corner, he itched to go back outside. There was something bizarrely calming about the raging storm. He felt like Mother Nature agreed that not everything was as calm and peaceful as it appeared on the surface. He loved the feeling of freezing rain on his skin, again, the others thought he was crazy, but to him it was a reminder that he was alive.

Moving forward he reached for his mug of ale, finding it empty he looked up to find a maid. But instead of locating a maid his eyes spotted three cloaked figures entering the tavern. This in itself wasn't an issue, the issue was that he didn't recognise the outlines. Sitting straighter in his seat he let his hand wander to the knife in his belt but stopped when he realised they were three women. That was odd. Women didn't tend to travel without a male companion. It's not that Tristan thought women couldn't look after themselves, in fact he knew that certain women were just as deadly as men, it was just that those types of women were few and far between. So three unknown women appearing at once, having obviously had the confidence to travel alone and through the horrendous storm, certainly piqued Tristan's interest.

He sat back, watching them move between the crowd and make their way to the bar. He noticed the way that they moved in sync almost as if they rehearsed or practiced moving in a trio or a team. Deliberately or not they seemed protective of the women in the middle, despite the fact that she seemed confident enough to handle herself. Without realising Tristan found himself shifting further forward in his seat, he couldn't explain why but something about the women drew him in. He decided that he must be incredibly bored if he was watching women from afar, it was something he would normally catch Lancelot, Gawain or Galahad doing, but never him. Nevertheless there literally was nothing else to do and new arrivals could be a sign of trouble, so he reasoned that there was no reason to stop looking. By this point they seemed in conversation with Vanora, having removed their cloaks he could see them in more detail.

From a distance, to an untrained eye, the two closest to him looked like sisters. Both with long auburn hair and matching in stature. However with his sharp and trained eyes he could tell in fact they probably were not. The slightly smaller one, talking animatedly with her hands, sat slightly slouched with her emotions playing across her face like a story in the candlelight. The other however sat with a very straight posture, hands clasped delicately in front with only a hint of emotion on her face. From this Tristan deducted that the later was highborn, or at least high enough to have been taught the basics in proper and formal etiquette and posture, while the other quite clearly hadn't had the same schooling. The likelihood that these women were sisters was incredibly low with such different backgrounds. The shorter of the two was in a wooded green overdress with a brown leather buckle and corset that clinched tightly at her hips. The dress parted from the waist down revealing woollen leggings and knee high leather boots that were again brown. Her style of dress made freedom of movement easy to achieve and was practical when riding. Not something many dresses have been designed with in mind, after all, riding like a man was not considered very lady like. In contrast to the green of her outer dress, her friend had opted for a total dark brown leather dress. The dress was decorated with a dark green stitch and panel that sat under the numerous belts at her waist. The material was also split differently, rather than the one main split down the front it had two down either side,her long legs framed by the decorative stitch, and again by the practical riding boots framing her calfs. It was surprising how normal they looked, they weren't stereotypically lady like, thin and pretty, looking like they were otherworldly and had fallen from grace, they were just two normal, though slightly more athletically built, women.

What did catch Tristan's attention though, was the small concealed daggers they had both in their boots and hidden amongst the fabrics of their dresses. He wondered how many men had missed them by being to preoccupied by the ladies cleavage and long legs. He was not one to be distracted so easily.

Shifting his gaze he now focused on the lady the furthest away. In comparison to the other twos red hair and fair skin, she had darker olive skin with shoulder length raven hair. If Tristan didn't know any better he would say she was Samartian, but that was highly unlikely. Different to her companions almost battle ready attire, she wore a simple sky blue outerdress with a midnight blue underdress. He couldn't see her shoes but presumed like the others they would be sturdy boots. The lower skirts were a wider fit presumably allowing her to ride and mount a horse,but in a more conservative way. She was definitely older and looked it, but not necessarily in a bad way. He watched her for a couple of seconds more, watching her protective glances to the right and the way she surveyed the room. At one point it felt as if she looked right at him, causing him to start and shift quickly back into the shadow of his corner. He was used to being the observer not the observed. He watched her looking at the other Knights, he watched her concern and her hand wandering to her much better concealed dagger, and then as her posture relaxed and her hand moved back to her lap. For some reason she didn't see the knights as the biggest threat, again Tristan found that odd. Normally everyone was afraid of them but here this woman seemed to dismiss them as a threat. Just as Tristan was trying to develop a reason as to why that might be, he saw her stiffen again and react to something behind her. Tristan cursed, he had been so distracted figuring out who these new women were that he had completely missed the developing tension behind them at the bar. He got swiftly to his feet at the same time as one of the girls did, except she did it with such ferocity that Tristan stopped in his tracks. He had been beaten to his plan of intercepting Fenwic and his men before they hurt Vanora by a woman who didn't even know her. He watched in shock as the tension escalated and the raven haired woman also got up. Why would two women want to confront a group of armed drunk men ? Tristan thought. At this point there was a pause, as everyone in the tavern seemed to notice what was going on and turned silently to observe. From this point it could go one of two ways: the silence would encourage both groups to deescalate and go back to what they were doing before, or what actually happened, and what Tristan had never seen coming. This was initiated by the tall women in the middle slamming her fists on the table and rising so aggressively that her chair went flying back and hit the table behind,breaking the silence with the shattering of wood.

The only thing that went through Tristan's mind before all hell broke lose was that at least he was no longer going to be bored.


	6. Chapter 6

**Tania**

If at the time Tania had been level headed, the scene she was about to create was literally the opposite of keeping below the radar, but as per usual her emotions very quickly took hold and the burning anger she felt inside made her decision for her. She hates it when men take advantage of women, when they attack defenceless women, when men abuse women for their own pleasures, when men think they own a women just because they were seen as the weaker sex. All of those things make her blood boil, but most of all she hates people that threaten and hurt her family. Memories of the past flashed like fire behind her eyes and before she knew it she had walked straight up to the guy and punched him HARD in the face.

Now, again, on reflection she would have realised that the only reason the entire thing didn't go entirely wrong was A) due to the surprise of the attack and B) the inebriated state of the men. But the fact that the three of them were outnumbered by more than double (only apparent when the rest of the mans group got up), hadn't registered in her mind at all as she the drove her knee straight into the mans groin. Quickly glancing to the left and right to locate her friends Tania saw that they had seen what she was about to do and had taken the initiative themselves.

Farica had grabbed the jug of ale from Vanoras hand and had smashed it in the face of the man nearest here before vaulting back over the bar to protect the women from any potential harm. That being said she wasn't just standing there, she had been searching for a weapon to chuck to Marie who had her hands full with a guy who was literally double her size. Once she had helped out her friend, she turned on the spot to punch another man who had been trying to grab Vanora over the bar.

Marie on the other hand had decided to forgo any weapons and had just launched herself over a stool towards the nearest guy she could grab. Unfortunately as she soon realised, the guy in question was the biggest of the lot. Swearing, as per the norm for Marie, she just started hitting the guy as hard as she could. Realising she may be in a bit of trouble she looked up and made eye contact with Farica. Backing away from the man she twisted around, grabbed the iron poker Farica had thrown and used the momentum of the turn to deliver a bone crunching crack to the mans jaw as she continued back round in a full circle.

Seeing that her friends had their situations well and truly under control and that the woman called Vanora was doing a fine job of looking after herself by fighting off any potential attack with a broom handle, Tania focused again on the man in front of her. Kicking out she struck him hard in the sternum forcing him back into the rest of his friends, who had by this point got to their feet swords drawn. Grabbing her knives from her boots she crouched into a defensive position waiting for their attack. She parried the first strike and ducked under the next, causing the man in question to stumble towards an already waiting Marie. Taking advantage of their slow drunk reactions she swirled again kicking a couple of them before dropping to the floor and tripping them with swipe of her leg. The tavern at this point had gone mad; drunk observers were screaming, calling out and placing bets, cheering on their favourites and enjoying the first violence they had seen in months. Realising that the crowds were moving in on her, Tania climbed on top of a table to accurately assess where her next attack would come from. Except a next attack didn't come. She would never admit it but by this point she was a little glad. Her emotions had subsided somewhat and the realisation of what she had started had begun to sink in, as was the fact that the odds were not exactly in her favour. She thought ultimately if it was life or death, her and the girls may have made it out but it would have been a long shot and it certainly would have tested them. So whether she admitted it out loud or not, there was some relief when a loud bellowing voice brought everything to a standstill.

Taking a breath she looked to her left to see that Marie had made a similar decision and was also on top of a table while brandishing what looked like a poker and grinning like she was having the time of her life. Below her were two or three somewhat battered men with bruises already forming on their faces and torsos. Concluding that Marie was fine and still as crazy as ever she turned to find Farica. Just where she had seen her last, Farica was behind the bar next to a slightly flustered looking Vanora, and like the other, was wielding a broom stick. Not the first weapon Tania would look for in a fight but looking at the poor men who seemed to have received the sharp end of the brooms it was evidently surprisingly effective.

Hearing the loud voice yell something about his wife again, Tania looked about to find the source of the voice. A large man, with a balding head and hulking muscles had charged forward sending those in his way sprawling to the floor. He yelled at everyone to get the hell out of the tavern or else they better start digging their own graves. Taken aback by the graphic threat, Tania wasn't surprised when the crowd dispersed and people hurriedly made their way to the nearest exit. This left three particular groups left inside the tavern as far as Tania could see, her and her friends, the guy people seemed to be calling Fenwic and his group, and finally a group of men that seemed to be moving towards her from the other end of the tavern. Realising that they were trapped between to large groups of armed men, without even thinking the girls started to drift together. Farica came out from behind the bar taking a position on Tania's right and Marie hopped onto the bench on Tania's left. They all knew by this point if they had to fight both groups they were totally, utterly screwed.


	7. Chapter 7

**BabSberry: Thank you for reading! Your officially the first person to ever comment on my work and I** **am over the moon !!**

 **Koba: I'm so happy your enjoying it! I still can't believe people actually read it ! I'm excited to develop the different relationships and friendships between them all so hopefully you will enjoy that too!**

 **The paragraphs aren't always showing up when I have made them. Not sure why, I do put them in so sorry if they don't come up!**

 **The Knights, Arthur and Guinevere**

Gawain was getting tired. His body ached from training earlier in the day. It felt like he spent all day, everyday, training. It was either that or sit in on all the meetings. So, as exhausted as he was, he much preferred having spent the weeks practicing. That being said, it would have been nice for Dagonet not to have hit him so hard in the chest AFTER he had already fallen over. Looking at the guilty person in question he was surprised to find him looking at Tristan, figuring there must be a good reason as to why, he glanced towards the corner as well. For some reason Tristan seemed on edge and Gawain sure as hell wanted to know why. He learned along time ago to always trust the scouts instincts. Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask Dag what was up, Tristan had jumped to his feet. 'Ahh crap' Gawain muttered mainly to himself,but caught the attention of the others round the table as their own conversation had lulled. Nodding his head towards the scout the others quickly realised that something was wrong. At the same time as the realisation dawned that something was amiss, the entire tavern went deadly silent. Turning as they raised themselves to their feet, they just about caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a women storming towards Fenwic and punching him in the face.

Standing there in shock the Knights and Arthur couldn't believe what was unfolding before their eyes. Tavern brawls happened all the time but this was something else entirely. It wasn't until Bors happened to see Vanora at the centre of the rioting crowd and ongoing fight, that they kicked into action. Galahad had seen Bors's face turn from bewildered to enraged. Following the older knights line of sight, he saw something he never thought he would see in a million years. Behind the bar Vanora was wielding a broomstick and fighting some of Fenwics friends alongside another raven haired women. Not trusting his ability to speak or the the others ability to hear him, Galahad just pointed to the disappearing sight of Vanora as the crowds once again shifted forward encircling whatever was going on in the middle.

Bors couldn't believe it. Vanora was normally canny enough to get herself away from any impending trouble brewing, so seeing her trapped behind the bar actually having to defend herself was an awful shock. Her being in the centre also meant that whatever had happened, probably happened to her directly or just next to her. The pushing crowd made every route to her impossible to take. Having had enough and being terrified for the women that he loved Bors yelled as loud as he could. Charging forward he started shoving people out of the way. Trusting that his brothers in arms were behind him he pushed all the way to the front still screaming for his beloved wife as well as bloody murder to anyone who at this point was still in the tavern. Grabbing Vanora into a bear hug as she rushed to him from behind the bar, he failed to notice the reaction of the others or what they were even reacting to.

Guinevere had heard the commotion from across the yard in the stables, despite the noise of the ongoing storm. She crossed to the tavern hurriedly just in time to see what looked to be the end of a fight and Bors making his way through a massive crowd. Taking in the sight, her eyes fell on what could only be the reason behind the fight and she was not impressed. She had no clue who on earth these women were or what they were doing in her fort, but Guinevere had already decided she didn't like them. If they were the reason behind this ruckus then she would see that they were punished. This was her kingdom now and she would make the rules. Knowing that Arthur was in the tavern she changed her focus to trying to locate him, and when she did spot him standing there next to Lancelot and the others, she was not happy with what she saw. Arthur did not seem angry at these women like she was, in fact none of the Knights did. They were looking at these women in awe, as if they had just laid eyes on the most beautiful maiden in the world. Guinevere got angrier, these women weren't even pretty, they were just normal women who had caused uproar. Arthur should have had them arrested already but instead he just stood there. And if looking at Arthur made her more angry, she reached her limit when realising that Lancelot was doing the same. Straightening her back and preparing to take control she was taken aback by what she heard when several of the knights and Arthur started speaking at once.

No. It wasn't possible. Arthur was to stunned to even speak. There was no way she was here, not in this fort, not in the tavern and certainly not up on that table. He didn't know what he had expected when he reached the front, but this was not it. In fact, it must be a dream Arthur thought. Blinking he tried to see if it was in fact an illusion. It wasn't. All of a sudden the realness of her standing there took hold and he couldn't help but say her name. 'Tatianna.'

He knew that Lancelot had just been through the exact same process when he seemed only to be able to say 'it's Tani, oh the gods, it's Tani.' Reminded that he didn't actually know where the nickname Tani had come from, Arthur took note to ask his second in command about it at another time. Still not having completely come to his senses he only roughly heard the others asking what the hell was going on and who the women were. Unfortunately for Galahad his mind cleared just as the former exclaimed 'I think I'm in love.'

T


	8. Chapter 8

**Tania**

Standing on top of the table Tania froze. In all her life she could not remember a time or situation that had rendered her so silent and unable to move. She heard a mutterd `oh crap` from her left confirming that Marie had also realised the situation they now found themselves in, followed by `this was so not the plan` and raised eyebrows from Farica. Opening her mouth as if to speak, Tania realised that all preparation and rehearsed speeches she had done for this very moment had fled her mind. Due to her current focus on her words or lack thereof, Tania had completely missed the large man from earlier approaching her from behind. In fact she was so focused on trying to speak it wasn't until she was lifted up off the table and spun around that she became aware of his presence. Still in shock from before Tania didn't even have time to process what was going on and it wasn't until she saw Marie laughing that her brain kicked back into gear. Struggling to breathe from the arms that had engulfed her, she looked frantically to Farica for some help. To her surprise Farica just shrugged and smiled at her, making her finally realise that she was not under attack, just on the receiving end of a very vigorous hug. A couple of moments later when her feet had finally touched the floor and she had scraped the hair off of her face, did she come face to face with her `attacker.` Well upon reflection it was more face to chest due to the noticeable size difference, but that did not stop Tania drawing back her shoulders and trying to regain some sense of composure. Realising Marie was still howling with laughter she turned to glare at her friend who could of damn well given her a warning about the impending situation.

Ignoring the fact that she had pretty much lost control of the entire situation, Tania tilted her head and gave the man in front of her a tight lipped smile while smoothing down her dress to try and make herself slightly more presentable. Expecting some kind of brash comment or look from the man, she was surprised by the genuine warmth in his eyes and beaming smile followed by his heartfelt thanks for defending his wife. Putting two and two together Tania's tight lipped smile spread into a relaxed one along with a sudden understanding of what had just happened. The sound of someone clearing their throat brought her attention to the men standing behind looking somewhat stunned and awkwardly glancing between her and her friends. Taking a deep breath she rolled her shoulders and took a step to the side, before finally saying the words she had been dreaming of saying for years:

'Hello brother.'

Unsure about the reaction that she would get she was glad that Farica and Marie had subconsciously moved closer to stand by her side. Trying to hide her shaking hands Tania started to ring her hands together. Her brother still hadn't spoken and she had a horrible fear that she had misjudged coming back entirely. Just about as she was on the verge of tears, her brother surged forwards locking her into a tight embrace. Seeing tears in his eyes, Tania couldn't help but letting hers fall. It had been over a decade since she had seen him, and to finally be home and be with him now made all of the years of hurt and pain seem like a distance memory. Sniffing back tears, Tania couldn't help but teasingly ask if 'now that you are King brother should I be kneeling in your presence…' Straightening up, Arthur couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that his younger sister had not lost her sense of humour. Ruffling her hair he turned to introduce her to his knights who all seemed to be in varying stages of shock. Knowing that Arthur was about to speak, Tania used his temporary pause to introduce herself. She didn't want any formalities like kneeling or bowing that was for sure, she knew that the knights were more brothers than anything else to her brother she hoped that they too would come to see her as family. Flattening her now mussed hair and taking confidence in Faricas supportive nod, Tania started saying hello.

'I know that most of you are incredibly confused right now so let me explain… my name is Tatianna, but please just call me Tania. As you have probably guessed I am Arthurs younger sister and I am really happy to meet all of you that I don't know. You guys really have become legendary up and down the country. These two wonderful women either side of me are Marie and Farica, they are like sisters to me so treat them like they are please...' Realising that she had spoken at an incredible speed, Tania paused to breathe and take stock of the reactions so far. What she did not expect was what she heard next.

'You're dead…they told us you were dead. All those years I thought that we had lost you.'

She knew facing Lancelot for the first time in years would be difficult. If she was being honest with herself she had missed him as much as she had missed her brother. But never in a million years did she realise that they had thought her dead. Hesitantly she glanced to her brother to confirm that what Lancelot had said was true. Seeing the pain flash in his eyes she realised that this was the reason they never searched for her in all these years, they had been lied to, they thought she was gone from this world. Shaking her head she looked Lancelot dead in the eyes, watching the emotions whirl in his eyes made her breath hitch.

'I`m alive Lance, I`m not dead.' Reaching out to grab his hand she tried one more time to get him to relax after seeing him tense 'I`m right here, I'm not gone.'

Feeling Arthur wrap a hand around her shoulders she realised that it was going to take some time to get back the level of relationship she had with both of them before she was sent away. Tearing her eyes away from Lancelot, Tania looked up to her brother for some guidance. Arthur, having sensed her need for help decided to introduce the rest of the knights she hadn't yet met.

'Ok so Bors is the one you have already met, and by met, I mean picked up by. Next to him is Dagonet, followed by Gawain and Galahad. The latter of which I need to speak too. And finally we have Tristan at the back. There is also Vanora who again you have already met and if I am correct I believe my beautiful wife Guinevere is behind us by the door.' While pausing to make sure that everyone was still paying attention he couldn't help but noticed how tired his sister looked. Making a quick decision he decided that it was far too late to do full introductions now and that everything make go better in the morning when everyone had processed the events of the evening. Turning towards Vanora he continued… 'now I can see that everyone is in some need of rest and time and so Vanora if you could please show my sister and her companions to the official guest rooms and then we can all reconvene tomorrow morning.' Not giving time for discussion Arthur signalled to the knights to leave, kissed Tania on the forehead and left alongside Guinevere.

For the second time that evening Tania felt like she couldn't move. It wasn't until she felt Farica tugging her forward to follow Vanora that she felt her legs. Distracted, she let herself be led to the door, and it wasn't until the door banged open by the gusting wind did she focus on the conversation being held around her. She heard Vanora reassuring Marie that their horses would be well cared for and that it was only a short walk to the main section of the castle where their rooms were. Wrapping her cloak around her tightly, noting that Farica must have fetched for her while she wasn't looking, she pulled up her hood and followed the others out into the bracing wind and the rain.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys, I know I have been gone for a while but i wanted to spend time developing the story and planning it out in detail as well as each individual character and their personal journeys. (May have spent to much time using MBTI). What I can say is that I am now more excited that ever to be writing this story, but i will warn you it is going to be very long ! I will also say that i know at the moment i seem very anti-gwen but what i have planned with her i think is one of the more interesting character arks. I really appreciate any comments or reviews, and still cant believe that people read my writing!**

 **Lancelot**

Rolling over in bed Lancelot couldn't help but bury his head in his pillow. Groaning at the thought of the mess his life had so quickly become he reached for the mug of water that lived at the side of his bed. Unable to find it he shook his head before remembering that he had in fact hurled it against the wall the night before, along with several other breakable items. Cursing everything and everyone under the now rising sun, he decided that the best thing he could do was get up, get dressed and face the coming day. After all the quicker he dealt with it the quicker it would be over. Over an hour later, when he finally felt ready, he stepped out of his room. Stony faced he glared at anyone that walked past, warning them that he was not in the mood to talk. On his way to breakfast he had managed to scare off any unwanted contact and it wasn't until Gawain grabbed his arm that he removed the scowl from his face, but even then his eyes warned all that knew him that he was in a bad mood.

'You're going the wrong way….Arthur has called the meeting early….Lancelot you hearing me?'

Sighing Lancelot looked up at his friend, seeing the concern written across his face, he nodded and turned.

'If you want to talk about it, I'm here. Whatever you need Lancelot, I mean it. I don't entirely know what's going on but I know you, and I have not seen you like this for a very long time.'

Knowing that Lancelot was not ready to talk, Gawain patted Lancelot on the back and led the way.

Lancelot appreciated Gawain's concern he really did but he needed to figure out how he actually felt before even contemplating talking about it. Following Gawain's lead he entered the main hall, noticing Guinevere`s eyes following him across the room he couldn't help but tense. The last thing he needed was having to deal with Guinevere on top of coming to terms with Tania`s return. Coming to a stop on Arthur's right hand side, he finally looked around the hall. Unsurprisingly the other knights were lounged across varying chairs and benches. It appeared that they had gotten over the shock from the night before and only subtle glances towards the girls showed their curiosity. Well everyone apart from Galahad was being subtle, having seemingly not listened to Arthurs warning the night before, Lancelot sent him a warning glare. Pleased when Galahad got the message and turned to talk to the others, Lancelot turned his attention to the girls. To anyone who didn't know Tania she seemed completely calm, but watching her occasionally rub her upper right arm and tense her jaw, he knew her well enough to know that internally she was freaking out. Standing directly behind her was Farica. Lancelot couldn't help but smile, he was relieved to know that wherever Tania had been, she had been with Farica. He knew that Farica was as protective of Tania as he was back in the day, and judging by her protective stance and constant reassurances he was confident that it was still the case. The new girl on the other hand, was spread out on top of table absentmindedly drumming her fingers. It was obvious she didn't care for upper class protocols or formalities. He could see Guinevere side eyeing her and the way she had hiked her dress up to sit more comfortably. He couldn't help but like the women already, it wasn't surprising that Tania had befriended a rebel, after all Tania did have her own rebellious streak. She just hid it a lot better than her new friend.

Turning his attention to Arthur who had just started explaining to the other knights how Tania had been sent away at 15 by their father as part of an alliance with a Roman family, Lancelot decided that he was going to say as little as possible and just observe. Lancelot was never allowed to know why she had been sent away just that he woke up one morning and she was gone. His presence had only been accepted by Arthur's father due to his potential as Arthurs second in command and natural skill with a blade that he had demonstrated at an early age. As a consequence of being allowed around the higher levels of the fort in Arthurs company, he had met Tania quite early on. She had been 10 and he had been 13, nearly 14. Over the next five years they developed a bond that rivalled that of Lancelot and Arthurs. Looking at her now, she had become ten times the woman he always imagined she would become. He remembered a time when she had been shy and quiet, doing everything she could to please her father and obeying all the rules. But even back then she had a fire and passion in her eyes, burning away under her dutiful actions and responses. In hindsight it was probably his fault she was sent away. He remembered encouraging her to sneak out of her tutoring lessons to play dragons and princesses around the gardens, her fine dresses being coated in mud and what used to be her neatly pinned hair a complete mess with leaves and twigs from jumping out of trees and running around the forest. He had emboldened her to be who she truly was and in return she boosted his confidence and sense of belonging, always telling him he was more than just a Samaritan slave to Rome and that he mattered. Back then neither of them could have imagined that 12 years later that they would be stood in the main hall as a real Princess and Knight of a kingdom that her brother and his best friend ruled.

Arthur having finished his explanation finally turned to Tania and asked the question he too had been dying to get the answer to. Why were they told that she had been killed in a kidnapping attempt all those years ago, and as she obviously hadn't been- where had she been and why hadn't she come back sooner? Lancelot watched as Tania looked at the floor, steeled herself and then straighten up with a determined but other than that an emotionless face. He found himself clenching his fists and holding his breath waiting for the answer.

'I did not know what they told you all those years ago, I knew they would come up with some kind of story but I never imagined they would pretend that I had died.' Tania switched her gaze from Arthur straight to Lancelot before continuing. 'All I will tell you is that I stayed with them and studied with their eldest son for the first 5 years before deciding for my own reasons that I wanted to leave. I was supposed to marry Augustus, the son, the day after I left. I know Father promised him my hand in marriage but for my own reasons I could not go through with it, and so in the night along with Farica, her husband and their children, I left.' Pausing to move closer to her brother, Lancelot saw a flash of pain in her eyes as she passed him. Grabbing her brothers hand she finished, 'I was afraid that by leaving I would disappoint both you and father, and that my return would be a stain of our family. I didn't have the courage to face you having put the alliance in jeopardy. So I made a new life for myself north of the wall where no one knew who I was, where I had no expectations to live up to. It wasn't until I heard that you had become King and that the Romans were leaving that I even believed that I could come home. I am truly sorry if you have been hurt by any of this, I just wanted what was best for everyone.'

It wasn't until the last sentence that Tania turned to face Lancelot properly. Looking at her now, close up for the first time in over a decade, Lancelot finally admitted to himself how much he had missed her. Watching her fight back the tears, prompted him to pull her against him and tell her that it was all ok and that she had nothing to apologise for. Deep inside he knew she was hiding something else but for the moment he just didn't care. Tania was finally home. Locking eyes with Arthur over Tania`s shoulder they seemed to make silent agreement that the past was in the past and that they would just enjoy having her back. It took Bors calling for a celebration to shake the trio out of their reverie.

'All right then team, I say its cause for celebration to welcome our newest members….what da ya say lads…. time to drink and party I say….'

Smacking Dagonet on the back and tripping over a stool, Lancelot watched Bors attempt to stand up in a hurry but just end up getting tangled in the limbs of the other knights. Hearing Tania laugh from beside him he couldn't help but rolling his eyes and making a face of amusement that only she would see. Things were finally looking up and he felt himself relax, that was until he looked at Arthur or who had a worrying glint in his eye. Realising what Arthur might be thinking, Lancelot didn't have time to brace himself for what was coming and could only watch as Arthur dropped him in it.

'That is an excellent idea Bors` exclaimed Arthur. 'In fact it can be a joint celebration of my sisters return and our new alliance with the settlement of Romans who have chosen to stay here in Britain. We have Lancelot here to thank for that new progression for which I am very grateful. Have you shared the good news with everyone yet?'

Lancelot internally groaned. Looking up to see everyone waiting for him to speak, he had fleeting thoughts of strangling Arthur. Clearing his throat he stepped forward.

'The news that Arthur is talking about, is that to get the alliance off to a positive start, I have agreed to marry the Commanders daughter Valentina.'

Unsurprisingly the entire room went silent. Lancelot watched the disbelief play across his brothers faces, raised eyebrows from Farica and Marie and an incredibly angry look from Guinevere. But what he didn't see, but agonisingly felt, was Tania taking a step away from him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **Marie and Farica**

Leaning against the bar in the Tavern Farica was grateful that the celebration was being held here. As grand and beautiful as the Main Hall could be, it was far too formal for her liking and she knew Tania preferred a smaller and more relaxed setting. The thing about Tania was that although she was never one to hide from the limelight she didn't like people make a huge fuss over her, especially when she felt it wasn't deserved. Looking at Tania now she didn't seem an inch of a princess that people would expect; balanced at the top of a rickety old ladder she was leaning precariously trying to hang decorations onto the dilapidated beams, while Marie who was supposed to be holding the ladder and helping, was more focused on what was going on outside of the window. Hearing Vanora gasp behind her at the situation in front of them she couldn't help but chuckle. When Tania had told Vanora that they would help set up, Farica was fairly certain that the women hadn't expected the newly found sister of the king to be 10 feet up in the air attempting some rather risky manoeuvres.

Spinning back around on her stool Farica smirked at Vanora. She hadn't known the women long but she had started to appreciate her sunny but no nonsense attitude. Hearing the tittering of children's laughter, Farica couldn't help but look up and smile at the sight in front of her. From out of the kitchen a multitude of children came rushing out, covered in mud from the weeks of rain and grinning from ear to ear, they dumped a selection of what looked like flowers atop of the bar. What was evidently meant to be additions to the flower centre pieces had turned into a sodden pile of green mush. Reminding her of her own children, who despite incredible enthusiasm quite often missed the mark, Farica couldn't help but swallow her laugh. Watching the children animatedly explain to their mother about their adventure in the nearby woods, Farica couldn't help feel the familiar ache in her heart. Subconsciously rubbing her chest she reminded herself that now that she and Tania had settled somewhere permanently her children could now join her and that she had already sent them a letter with the good news.

'You have children don't you'

Tearing her eyes off the now retreating children, Farica looked up at Vanora who had just come to sit next to her offering her a comforting glance. Vanora continued while pouring them a mug of water.

'I can tell by the look in your eyes, one mother never fails to recognise another.'

Fiddling with the mug in front of her, Farica sighed.

'I have four….I love them with every breath and bone in my body but it hasn't always been safe for them to travel with me.' Glancing at Tania and Marie Farica smiled. 'Let's just say my travelling companions have a habit of attracting trouble. Ever since their father passed away they have been safer staying with my sister in law. But now I finally have a home to bring them back to and I cannot wait till my world in complete again.

Vanora nodded understandingly and placed her hand on Faricas arm. 'Sometimes we have to make hard sacrifices to do what's best for our children. It doesn't make it easier but I have a feeling that like me, you would sacrifice everything for your children and if you ever want to talk about it, I am always willing to listen…now lets clean this bar up, its almost time for us all to get ready and I know for a fact that my 12 little ones need a good wash and scrub.'

Grabbing the left over mugs and jugs, Farica watched Vanora also retreat back into the kitchen before hearing her yell for Bors who seemingly hadn't even started getting the children ready.

Tapping her fingers on the ladder Marie was undeniably bored. Tanya as over enthusiastic as ever, had volunteered them to help decorate. Looking out of the window she couldn't help but envy the knights' as they larked around outside in the newly found sunshine. It had been weeks since the sun had been out anywhere in the South and Marie cursed her luck that she was stuck inside. She itched to ride Oskar again and to explore the trails in her new home. She had visited him several times since arriving and was pleased that their mounts were being looked after along with the Knights. But it wasn't the same as spending all day, every day, riding across the fields and poppy-dashed meadows. Shifting weight onto her other leg she glanced over to Farica at the bar. Even from a distance she could see the tired look in her eyes. Marie knew that Farica missed her children and the toll that leaving them behind had taken on her. She also knew that Tania longed for children of her own, but standing there watching Vanoras children traipse in covered head to toe in mud, she still couldn't see the appeal. It's not that Marie didn't like children, she actually didn't mind children, it was the lifelong commitment that scared her. Ever since escaping her marriage Marie had promised herself that the only commitment she should ever make again was to herself.

Looking up at Tania whose face was a mixture of concentration and determination while she stretched dangerously on top of the ladder, Marie realised that maybe she should be paying more attention to making sure her best friend didn't fall. A laugh from outside distracted Marie all but two seconds later, drawing her attention to one of the Knights whose name she had forgotten. He was definitely the youngest of them all and watching him attempt to flirt with Connie made her smile. She couldn't help but feel he had a more innocent and heartfelt feel about him than the others. If she was being honest with herself she found him rather attractive. Despite being the punch line of most of the jokes she had witnessed the knights cracking, she was impressed that he never shied away or was intimidated by the older men and was always looking to be involved one way or another. He certainly looked like he had fun streak and seeing him flirt openly with different woman convinced Marie that she wouldn't have to worry about things getting serious with him. Having made up her mind, Marie decided that she would approach him at the celebration one on one and see what he was like. Kicking the ladder to encourage Tania to hurry up she couldn't help but look forward to the celebration slightly more than she had been, after all it would help her avoid the obvious drama between her best friend and the Kings right hand man.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 **Tania**

While picking out dresses for the girls to wear at the celebration, Tania's mind couldn't help but replay Lancelot announcing that he was getting married. She knew she shouldn't be surprised, the likelihood that he would be single after all these years was ridiculous but yet she had felt the crushing weight of his announcement hit her like a wall. What she couldn't figure out was why. Why did she even care? Yes they were close when they were younger but it's not like they could have been anything, even if she had stayed at home. How on earth did a ridiculous childhood crush affect her now after all she had been through? She had learnt to steel herself against the toughest of emotions and yet here she was obsessing over silly little things. Throwing the chosen gowns onto her bed, Tania turned to look in the mirror. Tracing the scar on her right arm with her fingers, she couldn't help but feel her self-confidence crumble just a little bit. She had never considered herself overly beautiful, she knew Marie envied her more than ample bosom and generous hourglass figure, however Marie did have a washboard stomach and tiny waist and so in Tania's eyes she didn't have much to complain about and that Marie was beautiful in her own way. Seeing the scar in full, she couldn't help but feel that it was ugly and marred her fair skin. Squeezing in her stomach, she studied her angular face trying to figure out the best way to style her auburn hair. Hearing the other girls approaching Tania steadied herself, cleared her mind and plastered a huge smile on her face. If she couldn't convince herself that everything was ok she could at least convince everyone else.

Fastening her midnight blue and gold corset on top of her white chemise, Tania put on what Farica affectionately called her game face. She knew she looked good, the pale gold flower patterned skirts surprisingly suited her complexion rather well. Making sure her scar was covered Tania turned to see the bemused looks on her friend's faces. Farica and Marie didn't think her vein and knew that Tania was desperate to fit in and make a good impression but always found the long process of getting ready quite amusing. Tania watched on as Marie haphazardly threw on her own gown mumbling about the red flower detail and how it was girly, but then how it actually looked alright with the darker forest green skirts. Barely taking time to smooth her dress down, Marie then preceded to yank open the bedroom door, yell something about getting the party started and skipped off down the hall. With a confident nod and smile from Farica, Tania realised that this evening might be more fun than she originally predicted. Feeling more relaxed and with thoughts of Lancelot behind her, Tania set off towards the tavern.

Several hours into the celebration and things were going well. So much so that Tania was no longer with Marie or Farica who had both wandered off. Counting on her fingers Tania tried to figure out how many more knights she needed to meet properly. Bors and Dagonet she had met first, she was admittedly slightly nervous at first, they were two of the largest knights, making her feel tiny despite her 5 ft 9 frame. It transpired that she had nothing to worry about, Bors had been already drunk and declared that she was like one of his own children as well as repeatedly hugging and thanking her for helping out Vanora. Dagonet on the other hand had been quiet but not in an intimidating way. His eyes conveyed a comforting and caring vibe, and in-between keeping Bors under some semblance of control he had listened intently to what Tania had been saying. Next she had had conversed with Gawain and Galahad. Closer to her age she had felt more confident, encouraged and joined by an enthusiastic Marie, she had approached them during an ongoing game of knife throwing. Once they had awkwardly gotten over trying to figure out how formal they needed to be with her and were fully assured that she wanted no royal formalities whatsoever and was keen just to be one of the boys, they had invited the girls to join the game. Paired with Gawain against an increasingly flirty Galahad and Marie, Tania had enjoyed getting to know them. Somehow she knew that the four of them would get up to a lot of fun in the future. Gawain was a really genuine and warm character and Galahad was actually incredibly funny with a very dry sense of humour. By all accounts the only knight she had yet to talk to was Tristan, scanning the room she couldn't see him and realised that she also needed to find her new sister in law. Immersed in her thoughts of how to make the best impression on Guinevere, she sighed and poured herself another mug of wine.

Taking in her surroundings Tania smiled. Leaning against one of the heavy oak tables covered in flower petals she couldn't help but laugh at Lancelot making his way towards her. She knew instantly he was drunk and watching all the girls swooning as he walked by made her snort and roll her eyes. Waiting for him to speak as he parked himself next to her she raised her eyebrows before bursting out laughing again. He had always been confident, cocky even, and evidently that had increased over the years. If you didn't know him, Tania knew that he would appear arrogant and heartless, but she did know him and found his playboy act incredibly amusing.

'You need to be careful Lancelot, you walk past those women again and they'll fall over.' Tania said smirking at him.

'Alas they are only human my dear Tani, girls are helpless to my dashing good looks.' Giving a mock bow he kissed her on the hand.

Not missing a beat, despite her surprise at hearing her old nickname, Tania looked him dead in the eyes before replying teasingly.

'In which case I guess I am not human as I for one can't see what all the fuss is about.`

Gasping, Lancelot clutched dramatically at his chest. 'You wound me deeply, in fact I feel I may die from the pain in my heart…'

Again with little hesitation Tania went straight for him poking his chest.

'Oh Lancelot, with your ego, not a chance'

Grinning wickedly, Tania bumped past him before sashaying away, having spotted Guinevere in the far corner.

Still giggling at her interaction with Lancelot she came to a stop in front of her sister in law not noticing the sour look on her face. Finally looking up to Guinevere, Tania was taken aback by the coldness and seething anger that radiated off of her. Forcing herself not to take a step back in retreat, Tania squared her shoulders and opened her mouth to speak. Before she was able to get a word out Guinevere raised her hand to stop her.

'I know why you're here and your plan will not work. I am the queen here and you will not take any power away from me or your brother. Am I really supposed to believe that it's just a coincidence that you crawl out of hiding just as your brother becomes the most powerful man in the country?'

Stepping forward again into Tania`s space Guinevere continued.

'I see the way you are trying to seduce the knights and Lancelot. You think with Lancelot on your side you are protected, but you're not. He would never raise a hand against me, he loves me as his queen and there is nothing you can do about it. You think after that little stunt you pulled in this tavern on the first night that you are a skilled fighter, but again you are not. I am. I have fought side by side with the knights in battle. You are no threat to me. Take this as a warning, you are not welcome here and you need to take your friends and leave. We will not have this discussion again.'

Slamming her goblet down onto the table, Guinevere turned on her heel and marched away, leaving a gobsmacked Tania standing there in utter shock. Fighting back the urge to cry, Tania clenched her fists. She had nothing but good intentions and hope at becoming close with the newest member of her family. She had been excited to learn from her new sister in-law, and stand proud side by side fighting for and defending their newly created kingdom. Remembering stories told of Guinevere's ferocity in battle, Tania knew that she was outclassed. Refusing to be weak Tania collected herself and raised her chin defiantly. It just so happened that by raising her head, she came face to face with Sir Tristan and that was when she had an idea.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **Tristan**

He hadn't meant to witness the standoff between Guinevere and Tania, he just happened to be in that particular corner. He certainly hadn't predicted Tania's request, and looking back, he tried to figure out why he agreed.

The celebration had been fairly typical. The knights all got drunk while he watched from the shadows or the balcony above. Tristan didn't have any particular issues with parties, if anything it allowed him to watch people and study their behaviour while they were unaware. Drunk people find it difficult to keep up any false pretence and the way they behave is more indicative of who they truly are. He had watched Tania enter earlier in the evening next to her most trusted friend and ally Farica. He had watched them laugh about how Farica`s dark crimson dress nearly matched the newly placed table draping's and how if it wasn't for the intricate golden embroidery on her bodice they would look exactly the same. Even from across the room it was hard not notice the cheerful and upbeat aurora that surrounded Tania. If he was honest with himself Tristan knew in hindsight why he agreed. As painful as it was to admit, Tania reminded him of his own younger sister. The woman he imagined his sister would have grown up to be was achingly similar to what he saw in Tania. He could tell that she had a fiercely independent streak, and was willing to take on the world for what she felt was right. However she also had this innocence about her like she would always think the best of people and of the world until proven otherwise. So naturally when she asked him to train her, he could only agree.

Taking the emotion out of equation, there were logical reasons to teaching Tania how to fight to an even higher standard. He could already tell that she wouldn't walk away from fight, and having the Kings sister able to defend herself no matter what, took pressure off assigning extra guards. He also knew that having Guinevere as a sister in law meant that the newly found princess needed to be able to match not only her ability, but the rest of the Woads around the fort as well. From what he overheard, they evidently saw her as a threat and until that changed she needed someone to watch her back. Lastly, it was obvious that both Arthur and Lancelot cared deeply about her and anything that reduced the risk of Tania getting hurt or gods forbid worse, would be beneficial for all involved. He certainly didn't want to be around if anything did happen, despite Lancelot being better known for his temper, having seen Arthur angry on rare occasions he knew that it wouldn't be pretty if the worst did occur.

Turning his thoughts to how he was actually going to train Tania, he realised that is was best to keep her training under wraps. More than likely Lancelot would throw a fit saying that it would put her in more danger, while Guinevere would convince Arthur to stop it altogether. Lancelot he could handle, but openly challenging the queen wasn't the best idea. He didn't particularly like Guinevere, he had watched her play with Lancelot's emotions continuously since they rescued her, and yes him and Lancelot didn't always get on, but he was a brother and he had nearly died because of it at the battle of Badon Hill. Guinevere's non so subtle threat to Tania had only put his back up even more. Guinevere thought she was Queen of the people but Tania had true potential to actually be loved by all. Guinevere had seen it and so had he. He had watched her socialise and spend time laughing and joking with the knights, something in hindsight he realised that Guinevere never did, so far they seemed to all like her and so he felt that if any of the others did discovered what was going on, they would keep it to themselves. Training would have to occur outside the Fort walls. He needed to see how well she could ride on top of working out her abilities with a range of weapons. From the fight in the tavern, Tristan knew that she led with her emotions and reacted impulsively rather than thinking first. He would need to teach her to lead with her head over her heart and transfer the control she has over her emotions in day to day life into her fighting. On the plus side, she had shown a fair amount of skill already, had shown a quick ability to adapt and was loyal and protective of her friends. The only thing Tristan knew was that no matter what the arrival of Tania had well and truly thrown boring out of the window.

The next morning Tristan was sat in the courtyard, Tania had agreed to start training the following morning so he was currently sat watching the girls getting ready for a day out alongside the other knights who unlike him and Bors weren't on patrol. Enjoying the return of the sun, Tristan stretched out along the crumbling walled ledge. The sun had been absent for so long, that the feeling of warmth seeping through into his tired muscles brought a barely visible smile onto his face. Looking upwards towards the sky he spotted his hawk soaring amongst the scattered clouds, subconsciously feeling a presence to his left, Tristan turned his gaze to the top of the battlements. Frowning slightly he watched as Merlin stopped and observed the girls as well. Merlin hadn't been back since the wedding and his return signified that something was certainly coming. Tristan prided himself on his observation but when it came to Merlin it was unsettling how he knew things he hadn't even witnessed.

Hearing a loud string of curse words, Tristan's attention was taken back to the courtyard. Marie had seemingly tripped over one of the watering buckets due to her horse bumping her out the way to get to the feed in Tania's hands, and was expressing her displeasure from the hard patch of ground she was currently residing on. Farica continued to tack up the other horses while Tania, who was supposed to helping, was laughing at Marie's misfortune. Hearing chatter coming towards them he nodded in acknowledgement to the other knights. He watched as the group enthusiastically greeted each other and mounted up. Tania had noticed him on the wall and gave him a wave much to the surprise of the knights, smirking at Lancelot's expression he returned with an inclination of his head. Realising the time Tristan brushed off the dust before setting off to start patrol with Bors.


	13. Chapter 13

**Farica and Marie**

With the sun streaming through the canopy, the light pebble dashed onto the riders below. The wind whispered through the trees disturbing the leaves that had made it through the endless storms. The horses trampled through the waterlogged paths splattering the white and yellow flowers that littered the forest floor. In amongst the towering trees, the newly found friends chatted and laughed as they trotted along. Slowing Maia to a walk, Farica relaxed in her saddle. Following at the back with Dagonet watching the other five mucking about and having fun brought a smile to her face. It almost seemed like her and Dagonet were parents supervising their lively and overly energetic children. It was nice to be out in the fresh air without the lashing rain and being able to take in the beauty of the surroundings. Laughing along with Dagonet at the others antics, Farica felt the most at ease than she had in a long time. It had been decided that the guys were going to go hunting while the girls relaxed on the shore of a nearby lake. Tania had explained that she needed to talk to them both without the risk of overhearing ears, and, as much as Marie loved to hunt she was still feeling the effect of their week of non-stop riding from before and was up for having a rest.

Farica was really enjoying getting to know Dagonet. He was a gentle soul and despite not knowing him long, Farica felt really at ease spending time with him. Once they realised that they had a joint love of herbs and medicine, the conversation started to flow naturally. Dagonet welcomed her offer of helping out in medical, she could see that he was doing his best to keep it all together and knew that he probably never complained about it. It seemed that they were both similar in their inability to say no to people asking for help, but now they had each other and agreed that if they ever felt that they needed more support that they could go to each other.

Relishing in the peace and quiet for a moment, now that the others had raced on a head, Farica let her mind wander. Memories of the past putting her in a more sombre mood she decided not to dwell on them anymore. Digging in her heels she encouraged Maia into a trot and then a canter, letting painful memories be blown away by the rush of wind. Despite not riding as much as the other two, Farica still enjoyed it from time to time. Turning her head to smile at Dagonet, she urged Maia forward in a bid to catch the group up ahead. Eventually finding them at the end of the path, she pulled up at the edge of the clearing. Gazing out across the meadow Farica was impressed, despite being open, it still felt private and secluded. She knew immediately it would be somewhere she could come and decompress in the future. Glad that she had brought her book with her, she deftly dismounted and started running her fingers through some tall grass. Daisies ran all the way from the edge of the meadow to the lake shore in amongst smatterings of violets and wild thyme. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the sense of freedom and the tranquil atmosphere. Looking up she saw Gawain leading the horses towards the lake while shouting encouragement to Marie and Galahad who had challenged Tania and Lancelot to a piggy back race through the flowers and were subsequently losing. Sharing a wry smile with Dagonet they both set off towards the lake shore.

Reaching the pebbled beach Farica kicked off her riding boots and soaked her feet in the water. The water was crystal clear blue with no weeds or plants to speak of, and a stream running off the nearby hills kept a steady flow of fresh water that was clean enough for the horses to drink. Waving goodbye to the Knights who were heading off to hunt, Farica moved back up to the top of the bank where Tania had laid down. Taking a seat next to her, she gently nudged her friend who had closed her eyes. Looking at Tania now, she looked more relaxed than she had for a long time, but Farica was still concerned, especially having seen her briefly on her way to bed after the celebration the night before. When they had parted ways half way through the night everything had been going well, so Farica had been surprised to find her friend leaving with a face like thunder. Now in the meadow, it seemed as if Tania had calmed down somewhat but it was still concerning that Tania wanted to talk. From what Farica had seen so far during the day, Tania and Lancelot seemed to be getting along well, so for that ever evolving situation not to be the matter confused her somewhat. Unable to think about what else it might be, Farica lay down next to her waiting for her to talk when she was ready.

Marie collapsing down in between them both stirred Tania from her thoughts. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Farica leant forward hoping some of her questions would be answered. As Tania explained what had transpired between her and Guinevere the night before, Farica watched Marie becoming more and more agitated. Hearing what Tania had to say had completely blindsided her, she knew that establishing a relationship with a new sister in law could be tough but outward hostility and threats was something none of them had expected from Guinevere. Trying to process her own thoughts, Farica didn't try to stop Marie from getting up and storming off. Marie was understandably upset as it sounded like the threats weren't just directed at Tania but all of them. Rubbing her forehead Farica let out a frustrated sigh, struggling to come up with a plan of attack Farica was in for a further surprise when Tania admitted that she had impulsively also asked Tristan to train her as a response to Guinevere's harsh words. Looking to the sky and letting out a small prayer, Farica couldn't help but let out a laugh. Tania just shrugged her shoulders asking what else she could have done. Farica loved Tania to pieces but always found herself surprised at the situations that Tania found herself in, and sometimes wished she thought a little bit more before jumping feet first into things. Confirming to her that no matter what, she would always have her back, Farica gave her hug before settling down to read her book while Tania picked at the nearby flowers and started making a flower crown.

Marie was livid. Absolutely livid. She hadn't even done anything and she was already being judged by Tania's new sister in law. She hadn't directly crossed paths with her yet but she had felt the glares that had been sent in her direction. She had fought hard to be where she was in her life and to have someone looking down their nose at her made her blood boil. She hadn't been born into royalty or a highborn family, she was a farmer's daughter, and as much as she hated to admit it she was always trying to prove to herself and the people in her past that she was somebody of note and worth. Having had years of being told that she wasn't ever going to amount to anything she had finally found her confidence in travelling and living with Farica and Marie. News of Guinevere's threats had dug up bad feelings from the past and Marie hated it.

Picking up pebbles from the shoreline she launched them into the water trying to calm herself down. Her friends knew she needed some space and was glad that neither of them had followed her down. Wading in a little deeper she didn't care that her skirts were getting drenched. Over the next half an hour Marie found herself slowly calming down and feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't actually given any support to Tania who had received the bulk of the threats. Lost in thought she didn't notice Tania until she had come up behind her, given her a hug and placed a flower crown on her head. Realising that she must have made a face about the flower crown Marie stuck her tongue out at Tania who was laughing at her displeasure. Happy that no words needed to be said, Marie threw a small stone at Tania before returning to her attempts at skimming stones across the water.

A couple of minutes later, with Tania having returned to shore to dry off, Marie spotted a perfectly flat stone just under the water. Unfortunately in true Marie fashion, as she reached down to pick it up, she somehow managed to trip over her own feet, sending her crashing down into the lake. The sound of her yell as she fell caused Farica and Tania to come running, however, once they realised that she wasn't actually hurt they started howling with laughter at the sight of her. Despite Marie's attempts to keep a serious face, she couldn't help but laugh herself. Sat down in the water with her skirts tangled and floating around her she was certainly glad it was a warmer day. Having completely face planted, every inch of her was soaking wet including her bedraggled hair that was now plastered across her face. Attempting to shake her hair out of eyes she looked up at Farica who was bent double clutching at her side and Tania completely collapsed on the floor with tears rolling down her face. Clearing her throat to remind them both that she was still stuck in the lake, Marie attempted to stand up by herself. Catching her legs in the fabric of her dress, Marie only managed to fall over again only increasing the hilarity of the situation. Swearing at the fact that she was even in a dress in the first place and not leggings, she realised that this time she had managed to twist her ankle. Thankfully when her friends had finished laughing at her predicament, they helped her get up and out the lake. Coming to stop at the top of the bank, which she had attempted to hop up stubbornly by herself ,she found herself face to face with some very grumpy Knights. Apparently the noise of the drama had scared off any potential animals, leaving the Knights with nothing to speak of from their attempts at hunting. However once they saw the state of Marie, they completely forgot about the failure of the hunt and fell about laughing themselves having figured out what had happened.

Hands on her hips Marie attempted to shake off any water that she could. Having spotted her attempts, Galahad passed her his cloak in hopes it would help dry her off. Thanking him with a small smile and mentally thanking Farica who had suggested that they should return to the Fort, Marie started hobbling her way towards the horses. Only to her dismay and embarrassment, once Dagonet realised that she had hurt her ankle, he refused to let her walk. Despite her protests and attempts to escape, she was no match for the Knight who just scooped her up and started carrying her through the meadow while expertly dodging her flailing arms. Wanting to give an angry stare to her friends over Dagonets shoulder, she couldn't help but smile. Tania was clutching onto Lancelot and Galahad, all of which were trying not to fall over in hysterics, while Farica and Gawain were giving Dagonet a round of applause in-between wiping their own tears away. Giving up her fight entirely she relaxed into Dagonets arms and thanked him for his help. Dissolving into giggles herself alongside Dagonets chuckles, Marie realised that she was truly happy to be in Badon Hill and that there was no way in hell she would let Guinevere take this away from her.

 **Just a quick FYI. I am working away again so updates may not be as frequent if at all as the communities I work in don`t always have a reliable connection. Hope people are still enjoying the story though ! Thanks x**


	14. Chapter 14

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"strongThe Knights/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"A couple of weeks had passed since the girls arrival and Lancelot was amazed at how much everyone's mood had improved. Even the weather had taken a turn for the better. Standing on top of the wall above the main courtyard he couldn't help but smile at everyone below, if he didn't know any better he would actually say that Tristan was smiling as he lounged on one of the outside benches. Running his hands over his face, Lancelot sighed. He wanted to go down and enjoy the afternoon with the others but he didn't want to ruin the mood. While everyone else was becoming more relaxed, he was becoming more stressed. Guinevere still hadn't taken the hint that he wanted to be left alone, leading to a disastrous conversation that ended up more like an argument. To make matter worse after he had stormed away round the corner he had come face to face with a very bewildered and wide eyed Marie who had clearly heard everything. After begging her not to mention it to Tania, who despite her best attempts at acting completely normal, was still displaying a wariness of him since his marriage announcement, he could only hope that Marie would keep what she had heard to herself. Looking down towards Marie now he was fairly confident she hadn't, almost as if she had felt him looking at her she glanced up from the game of horseshoes and narrowed her eyes at him. Closing his eyes Lancelot rocked back on his heels and tried to let the sun relax him before he had to head into another meeting with Arthur./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Galahad couldn't help but blush. After beating Tania and Gawain at horseshoes, his partner squealed, launched herself at him and kissed him hard on the cheek. They had decided to play horseshoes after repeatedly being beaten by the other two at knife throwing and Marie had been determined for them to win something. Looking at Marie now, he couldn't help but laugh. Marie had broken out into her self-described victory dance around the courtyard. Over the weeks he had come to admire more about her than just her figure. She was funny and didn't seem to take life to serious, and yet fiercely loyal to those she cared about. She did have a feisty stubborn streak and quick temper but Galahad couldn't help but find her scowling face incredibly adorable, and she was always apologetic after she calmed down which showed that she did have a good heart underneath the anger. He also found it amusing that it had taken her less than two weeks to ditch the dresses completely. She wore them when occasion called for it, and not only had she moved onto her tunics and leggings, she had seemingly convinced Tania to wear them every now and again too. She definitely had a rebellious streak and Galahad found that it was infectious to everyone around her. Hearing her giggling, his mind refocused, only to realise that he must have been staring as Marie was waving at him and the others had knowing smirks on their faces. Having only just got rid of the blush on his cheeks where Marie had kissed him he felt another one reforming. Thankfully he was saved from further embarrassment by Vanora who had announced that food was ready on the table whenever they wanted to grab it. He was sure that Vanora would go to Arthurs Heaven if it existed, she really did look after them all./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kissing Vanora on the head and thanking her for lunch, Gawain moved to sit down next to Tania who was having an animated conversation with Bors whose booming laughter he swore could raise the dead. It turned out she was retelling the story of how she ended up stuck on the floor of the forge under heavy weighted chains. He knew that Marie had been helping out Dagonet forging weapons and that Dagonet was really impressed by her strength and ability and vowed to never underestimate her, but as far as he was aware Tania had never joined her. Gawain couldn't help but laugh along with Bors as Tania explained she had gone looking for Marie and had tripped over a broom and in grabbing for the table, had pulled the chains off of it landing in a pile of fire wood coated in soot. But what really made him laugh was that she had been stuck there for nearly an hour until a very confused Dagonet came back. Shaking his head he gave her a side hug before poking her in the ribs and in turn starting a play fight. Not expecting Tania to push him out of the chair, Gawain landed on the ground somewhat surprised. Looking up he saw her smirking and before he had time to counter attack, Marie had snuck up behind him and dumped a jug of water over his head. Jumping up and gabbing Tania, he heard Vanora shout something about not breaking anything, before shaking his wet hair making her squeal as the water droplets hit her in the face. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOne thing he had figured out very quickly was that Tania was certainly not the typical princess and as they were messing about he realised that he could actually call her a friend. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Dagonet couldn't help but be impressed. Farica had been explaining the difference between certain herbs and how they helped fighting infections and her knowledge was extensive. What was also nice was that she didn't come across patronising or condescending at all and that her obvious enthusiasm for the subject came across when she talked. He had noticed her compassion and attentiveness to Faricas children leading him to believe that she had children of her own, he was fairly certain that the other two didn't, and watching them embroiled in a play fight with Galahad and Gawain while Farica rolled her eyes in amusement, basically confirmed it. The addition of the ladies to the fort had been surprise at best, but the more that Dagonet got to know them he was glad that they were here. Despite being a tight group with common goals, each of them had their defining personalities and none of them ever tried to outshine the others. In fact he had never met women so supportive of each other, he expected that they all had an interesting past that had led them together to the fort and that explained their unbreakable bond. Turning back around he was surprised to see Farica engaging in small talk to Tristan. It may only be about the logistics of the new patrol plan but the fact that Tristan was actually voluntarily talking showed the impact that these women were truly having on all the knights, himself included./p 


	15. Chapter 15

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"strongFarica and Tristan/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Walking along the corridor adjacent to the main hall, Farica shook her hair out of the tight bun she'd had it in for doing chores and let it fall free as she walked in step next to Tania. Feeling relaxed for the first time in a while, she found herself smiling and only half listening to what Tania was actually saying about her most recent training session with Tristan. Nodding to some passing solider she realised that she had slipped into life at Badon Hill incredibly easily and was far more settled than she ever thought she could be, all she needed now were her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe missed them immensely but it had been the right decision not to have them travelling on the road with her and the girls. She loved Marie and Tania as if they were her sisters but the truth of the matter was that Marie could probably start a fight in an empty field and Tania wasn't much better, especially if it was in the name of justice and equality./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Shaking her head to clear her thoughts Farica realised that Tania had stopped talking, in fact, she had stopped all together. Looking behind she saw Tania completely frozen. Her face, which was pale on the best of days, had gone completely white and her eyes were darting around too fearful to focus. Shocked by the state of Tania, Farica took a second to gather herself before snapping into action. Trying not to make her jump Farica called to Tania softly while slowly moving forward. Racking her brains to figure out what had caused such a reaction in her friend she didn't hear the voice at first but when Farica finally stopped in front of Tania it hit her like a wall. Several voices echoed into the corridor from the inside of the main hall but it was just one that knocked the air out of Farica's lungs. Unable to focus on anything other than the voice she didn't realise that she was now also frozen to the spot. It's was only when she finally made eye contact with Tania that she realised that she needed to kick herself back into control. Regaining some sense of composure she managed to grab a hold of Tania who had stumbled into the wall and started sliding to floor. Ignoring the screaming of her own mind Farica focused on Tania who was fervently clawing at her chest trying to make it easier to breathe. Realising that she needed to get Tania out of there she looked around for something, anything that could help her. Half holding Tania who at that this point was rocking incessantly backwards and forwards she barely had time to register someone coming towards them./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tristan had not been happy to hear that they had a surprise guest and that all the safety preparations that should happen before a visitor arrives had all but been ignored. Striking along the corridor to the main hall where he would meet Arthur as well as the unannounced guest he tried to calm himself down. He tried to focus on how good the morning had started, how the weather was glorious, his patrol had been quiet and how Tania had actually made him laugh out loud when she had been doing impressions of the other Knights during their training session outside of the gates. He knew from observing her in public that she liked to put on a serious and demure facade but having gotten to know her over the training sessions she was actually just a complete goof who couldn't stand still and focus for two seconds. At times he found himself incredibly frustrated with her but then she would do something funny and any anger he had at her would fade away. Technically her sword fighting had come on leaps and bounds, her ability on a horse was more than impressive. In fact he had decided this morning that they could start work on the bow and arrow next time, he just hoped she had the patience./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Feeling a sense of calm return, Tristan clicked his neck and looked back up, rather than at the floor that he had been glaring holes in so far. Expecting the corridor to be fairly empty at this time of day he was surprised to see two figures up ahead who were seemingly on the floor, his surprise grew even further when he realised who they style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSurprise slowly grew to concern when he realised that something was incredibly wrong, increasing his speed Tristan strided over to where the ladies were. Crouching down next to them he glanced between them, realising that Tania was in such a state that she didn't even realise he was there let alone communicate, Tristan looked to Farica for confirmation on what had happened. Grabbing Tristan's arm Farica whispered 'we have to get her out of here, please help me get her to somewhere private.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Not wasting a second more, Tristan turned and lifted Tania up before walking back along the corridor where the girls had just come from trusting that Farica would follow along behind. Taking the quickest route he went to the one place he knew that wasn't only close but would ensure privacy and that was his own quarters. He had been expecting a fight from Tania when he picked her up but looking down he realised that she had passed out. Kicking his door open with his boot, Tristan walked over to his four poster bed and laid Tania down before turning to face Farica. She looked surprisingly calm, almost scarily so. Whatever panic she had been in when he had found them in the corridor had clearly gone and had been replaced by a sense of unwavering determination. Her hair that had been down was now back up in a tight bun and she had rolled up her sleeves past her elbows. In fact it looked to Tristan like she was preparing herself for a fight. Farica had always seemed like the least combative out of the three women but the look in her eye made Tristan realise that if anything she could potentially be the most dangerous. Where the other two fought with their heart and let their emotions get the better of them, Farica seemed collected and focused in such a controlled way that made him think that this was a side of her that not many got to see. Surprised to hear her speak, Tristan didn't initially process what she was saying as Farica turned to leave the room./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Stay with her, there's something I need to handle.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"It wasn't until the door slammed that Tristan's head caught up with the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTaking a look at Tania he realised that she wasn't going to come to any time soon and decided that it was better to catch up with Farica and stop whatever war path she was on. Stepping out of his room he caught a passing soldier and ordered him to stand guard outside his room. He didn't need to give a reason, he never did, the younger soldiers were scared of him and it worked in his favour. Seeing Farica turn the corner up a head towards the main hall, he jogged to catch up with her only to come to an abrupt halt when he realised that she was heading straight for Arthur and Lancelot./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Farica knew what she had to do. She had to lay it all on the table and if Arthur didn't agree then she would have to something drastic. Inside she was shaking, her flight or fight response had well and truly been activated, clenching her fists she stood behind the curtains at the entrance of the main hall, waiting for the right moment. She needed Arthur alone, she didn't want the visitors to know that she and Tania knew they were here. She knew visitor, Augustus Sartoro, the man that Tania was supposed to marry all those years ago. She knew he would want to surprise them and have an outright advantage and she couldn't let that happen. Watching the man leave out of the side door with the rest of his ridiculous entourage, Farica felt her blood boil. If he was really here with good intentions like he stated, did he really need to travel with a small army. No, he was here to get what he wanted and what he wanted was Tania, and there was no way in hell she was letting that happen. She would never let the past repeat itself. Tania's dad had married her off to the devil and she wasn't going to stand by and let Arthur send her back to him. She had overheard enough to know what his game plan was, arguing that Tania was legally his, due to Tania and Arthur's dad agreeing her hand in marriage for a military alliance was smart. The unspoken threat was that if Arthur didn't return Tania to him, the alliance between family's would cease to exist and based on Arthur securing his new found power on alliances between the different remaining sections of society, this would be a problem. If Arthur made the decision to send her back, which by the look on his face he was considering, then Farica had one option and one option only, she would kill Augustus and damn the consequences./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Unaware that Lancelot was still in the Hall or that Tristan was shadowing her, Farica made her move./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Arthur'… Farica yelled as she strided towards him… 'we need to talk.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Arthur looked up startled, surprised by the tone of her voice and her lack of formal address. But before he had time to respond Farica put her hand up to stop him./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'How could you, how could you stand there seriously considering delivering your sister back to that monster of a man. You say that you stand for honour and justice and even by considering his terms you are just as bad if not worse than your father. What is it ay? Doing what's best for the country? What about what's best for your sister? Have you even thought about why your sister might have left in the first place? You're not stupid, you must have seen the scar on her arm, the way she flinches when people approach her from behind, how every time she enters a room she makes damn sure she knows where everyone else in the room is. You pride yourself on being a good man and now you have to prove it. Do not let your sister down or I will take matters into my own hands.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Breathing heavily Farica looked Arthur dead in the eye, she knew he was angry, she had massively overstepped any boundary that existed, but she didn't care. It was all or nothing. Arthur placed the papers he was holding onto the table and stood up drawing himself up to his full height./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'How dare I? How dare you!' Arthur shouted at the top of his voice. 'I am your King and you will respect me. You storm in here and question my decisions about my family no less. I thought you knew me well enough to know how important Tatianna is to me. I have no reason to believe that Tania would be at risk, my father would never had made the agreement if there was….'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Farica couldn't hear any more, slamming her hand on one of the tables she continued aggressively not backing down. 'No risks, are you kidding me, let me tell you something. Not only did your father know that the previous woman to be engaged to Augustus had ended up dead he didn't care. Not if his precious settlement had an alliance. Let me tell you about the night that we didn't just leave his fort but we ran for our lives.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Turning around Farica inhaled sharply before laying out the very past that her and Tania had tried so hard to forget. 'Before I get to that night let me give you some context.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Facing back towards Arthur she noticed that Lancelot and Tristan who were doing their best to remain hidden had accidentally stepped into the light. But by this point it didn't matter, Arthur needed to know. They needed to know. Nodding at them to come forward she started retelling the nightmare that Tania and her had walked into to./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Everything was perfect at first, Augustus seemed nice, Tania enjoyed the study sessions and loved being able to go out and ride the horses during her days off. We didn't initially know that the marriage had been arranged, we had just been told that the friendship between both families was important and that your father wanted her out of harm's way. The older Tania got the more time Augustus insisted on spending with her. To start with I thought it was just a crush and Tania was good at avoiding any awkward moments but when it became clear to him that Tania wasn't interested in anything more than a friendship he became obsessive and controlling. Ranting on and on about how it was the same as his first wife. Slowly as time went on Tania was allowed out less and less and did her best to placate the situation knowing that he didn't like it when she went out. It wasn't until a year before we left that we suspected that there was anything else going on other than an over jealous friend who couldn't deal with rejection. It was only when Tania started talking about the possibility of seeing someone else that we saw the violent side of him. He broke the news that Tania had been promised to him and no one else and that was the real reason she had been living with his family. When Tania got understandably upset he threw a vase across the room hitting a serving girl on the head, leaving her bleeding on the floor. That was the start, up until the night we left he never laid a finger on Tania but many of the serving girls started appearing with cuts and bruises until at one point they started not appearing at all. Tania did her best to keep him calm and went along with the idea of the wedding but secretly we were trying to figure out why so many of the girls had started disappearing around the fort. The night we left was the night we found out. Tania had gone to return a book to his room when she found him strangling one of the new girls up against a wall. Her scream is what brought me running but I wasn't quick enough, by the time I got there he had thrown her across the room into a shelf of vases. All I remember next was blood pouring down her arm, I tried to get to her but he blocked my way, he grabbed me and threw me out the room and down the stone stairway. I saw Tania moving trying to help the other girl who was crawling trying to escape, Tania blocked his path refusing to let him get to her but for that she paid the price. He hit her so many times and I could do nothing but watch. Our only saving grace was my husband God rest his soul. I don't know how he knew we were in trouble but he came charging in and tackled Augustus off of Tania. He yelled for us to run, grab the kids and get out of the Fort while we could. I didn't realise he had been injured at that point, leaving the actual fort with Tania is just a blur in my mind. It wasn't until we had stopped running 12 hours later that I realised he wasn't with us. Tania says that when he tackled Augustus it was into the shattered vases and that he had sacrificed himself holding Augustus down for us to get away rather than stop his own bleeding.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Stifling a sob Farica and took a shaky breath with all the strength she had left, she looked around the room before ending the conversation once and for all by pushing Arthur hard in the chest. 'I will tell you this once and only once. If you do not get rid of him in the next 24 hours, I will shoot an arrow through that man's heart and destroy it like he did mine. Mark my words he is a dead man walking.' And with that she spun on her heels and exited the hall pushing past both Lancelot and Tristan who were in too much shock to move. She knew this was far from over and knew by the time it was, that more blood would be spilt. She just prayed it wasn't theirs./p 


	16. Chapter 16

p class="MsoNormal"Chapter 16/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"strongTania and Lancelot/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Her head hurt, and for a few seconds Tania didn't know why. Opening her eyes slowly and squinting at the light that streamed in through a bay window at the far end of the room, she slowly started to recollect what had happened. Realising that she didn't actually know where she was, Tania started to panic. It wasn't until she turned her head to look at the entirety of the room, that she spotted Farica sitting in a chair next to the opposite side of the bed. Instantly Tania felt her panic subside. Without saying a word, Farica put down the book she was reading, nodded to someone in the doorway and moved next to Tania on the bed. Still incredibly confused Tania craned her neck round to see who else was in the room, and was somewhat startled to see that it was Tristan. Trying to put the fuzzy pieces of her memory together she must have made a face as Farica proceeded to hold her hand and tell her everything that had happened, starting from when she too had heard Augustus's voice. Just hearing that Augustus was still at the fort made Tania feel sick to her stomach but the fact that Farica clearly had the situation in hand as well as Tristan's silent but comforting presence, helped Tania not descend into another panicked state. When Farica finished speaking, all the pieces clicked into place inside Tania's head. Bizarrely there was only two things that stuck out in her mind, neither of which were actually style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFirstly, that not only had Farica told her brother and Lancelot everything that had happened, but that she had actually yelled and pushed Arthur which was so incredibly out of her character it was mind boggling, and secondly Tania realised that she must currently be lying in Tristan's bed, in his actual room. Trying not to physically face palm and accepting that any formal formalities where well and truly out of the darn window, she heaved herself into a sitting position on the bed./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Preparing herself to speak in the now uncomfortable silence, Tania leaped off of the bed when the bedroom door banged open and let off a string of curses, which by the look of Tristan now raised eyebrows must have been quite impressive. Fortunately, Tania realised fairly quickly that it was only Marie who was being her typical noisy self. Sighing in relief, Tania flopped back down onto the bed angry at herself that she clearly didn't have her nerves under control. Smiling a little as Marie declared that the situation was a 'god damn disaster' and go on a rant about the disaster of men in general, Tania felt her confidence return slowly and nerves settle. It wasn't until Tristan cleared his throat and inquired about what the plan was that the seriousness of the situation returned. After half an hour of throwing several ideas about, including Marie's enthusiastic support for Farica killing Augustus, they decided on a daring bold face lie. The idea was that they were going to pretend that Tania wasn't even in the Fort and that she was in fact on an excursion out in the forest with Marie, who luckily hadn't been seen by anyone all day as she had been out riding Oskar since sunrise anyway. So as a result both Tania and Marie were going to stay hidden in Tristan's room for the next 12 hours while Farica and Tristan ensured that Arthur made Augustus leave and in the occasion that he didn't leave, they would 'handle it.' Tania didn't dare ask what that meant, besides she knew anyway. As much as she wanted Augustus dead she was kind of glad that she didn't carry the responsibility of killing him herself./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Marie jumping onto the bed shook Tania from her own thoughts and Tania realised that Farica and Tristan had already left to start spreading the lie. Seeing the concern on her friends face, Tania realised that she must look incredibly pathetic. Her hair had escaped its tight plaits and her face was all blotchy red and rubbing her eyes only seemed to make them style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe fact that she was such a mess both physically and emotionally plus the fact that she was still on Tristan's bed was too much for Tania, but instead of bursting into tears she couldn't help but laugh. The stereotype of a gorgeous, reserved well to –do perfect princess was the exact opposite of how she found herself now and she couldn't help but find it funny. If her dad was still alive he would have absolutely lost style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanKnowing that Marie wouldn't force her to talk about her feelings, Tania decided that the best course of action was to tidy herself up and then together they could figure out what and earth she was going to say to Arthur and Lancelot./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He was going to kill him. That was the only thought that had been running through Lancelot's head since Farica had left the hall. He was so wrapped up in his own anger that it was only when Arthur grabbed him by the shoulders that he remembered that he wasn't the priority right now, Tania was./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'I need you to let me handle this my way.' Letting go of Lancelot, Arthur ran his hand through his hair…'Lancelot I mean it, if we get this wrong, if I get this wrong, then a lot of people have the potential to get hurt.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Lancelot watched as Arthur paced the rest of the hall. He knew Arthur was right, this had to be done the right way, and killing Augustus would only create yet more enemies in his followers. He hated it, every bone in his body was screaming at him to do what he does best, and that sure as hell wasn't diplomacy. Watching his best friend now he realised that he had never seen him so emotionally distraught. He was used to Arthur being emotionally reserved and always cursed that he never admitted to what he was actually feeling, but watching him hurl an entire tray of mugs across the hall made him realise that they were both hurting as much as each other./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Lancelot I need you to find and look after Tania.' Arthur had regained most of his composure and had started to by the look of it formulate a plan. 'I'm going to find Augustus and make it clear that he will be leaving here without Tatianna. I hope that I can do it in such a way that doesn't end the alliance. But mark my words if there has to be a choice between my sister and the alliance, without a doubt it will always be my sister. There is nothing in this world or the next that could make me betray my sister like that. I would walk through hell itself before I let anyone hurt her like that again.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Lancelot suddenly felt guilty that he had even considered that Arthur would choose the Alliance over his sister but it did feel good to hear him say it out loud. Nodding his head, he embraced Arthur before watching him leave towards his chambers. Letting out a shaky breath, Lancelot focused on his new task of finding Tania. Knowing that she was never far from Farica or Marie he knew that in finding just one of them he would get a pretty clear indication of where she would be. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Two hours. It had been two whole hours since he had started to look for Tania and found the story that she happened to be out camping this weekend with Marie somewhat suspicious, especially when Bellona and Oskar were happily munching hay in the stables. Tristan who normally keeps a low profile, suddenly seemed everywhere and Farica who always knew where Tania was no matter what, suddenly seemed rather vague about specifics .In fact the only thing she seemed sure on was that Tania and Marie had decided to hike rather than ride, and Lancelot knew Tania arguably better than anyone, so the idea that she would willingly hike anywhere was almost laughable. But here Lancelot was two hours later with everyone supporting that same theory and no matter where he looked he could not find her anywhere in the fort. Frustrated and on the verge of riding into the forest himself to check once and for all, Lancelot nearly missed the subtle nod of communication between Farica and Tristan. Seeing red he stormed after them. Once inside the more private inner corridors Lancelot grabbed Tristan and slammed him into the wall./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Where is she Tristan ? Gods be damned do not lie to me.' If Lancelot hadn't been angry before, Tristan's lack of response pushed him over the edge./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'WHERE IS TANIA?' Lancelot repeated slamming his hand into the wall next to Tristan's head. Lancelot was so focused on getting a response out of Tristan and winning the steely glared battle that they seemed be having that he didn't notice Farica tugging his arm trying to pull him away from Tristan until she finally pinched him hard on the arm./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'OUCH' yelled Lancelot turning to face a not impressed looking Farica. 'What the hell is wrong with you woman, that bloody hurt.' Rubbing his arm he couldn't help but notice Tristan smirking at him./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Don't you woman me Lancelot' Farica replied swotting him deliberately on the same arm. 'And for love of all Gods would you stop yelling. Half the fort is probably on its way here now.' Sighing heavily, Lancelot watched Farica pace while massaging her temples for a minute or two before she rounded on him one more time. 'If you care about Tania as much as you claim, you need to stop looking for her. She is safe and somewhere Augustus will never find her. Right now the best thing you can do is help Tristan escort them out of here once Arthur convinces them to leave. I presume he IS getting them to leave?'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Noticing Farica's raised eyebrows Lancelot nodded in response 'Yes, they are leaving.'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Realising the conversation had finished as abruptly as it had started, Lancelot watched as Farica walked off down the hallway. Turning to see if Tristan's would be any more forthcoming he was less than surprised when Tristan shook his head, patted him on the back and walked off in the opposite direction. Swallowing his anger and accepting that he needed to trust Farica in this, Lancelot kicked at the floor before moving off and following after Tristan. Farica had always protected and looked out for Tania and there was no reason why she couldn't be trusted to do the same now. Lancelot just hoped she was as good at it as he remembered./p 


	17. Chapter 17

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"strongTania and Marie/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"It had been a couple of days since Augustus had left and Tania was surprised and somewhat relieved, that in the end she didn't have to say much to her brother and Lancelot, if anything they did most of the talking. They were openly distraught about what had happened to her and wanted her to know that she had their upmost support. They made it clear that no matter what Augustus would never hurt her or her friends again. Since then Tania had noticed Arthur spending more and more time with her between meetings and despite Lancelot's best efforts of staying inconspicuous, Tania had felt him watching her every move; even more so than before and yet neither of them pushed the conversation any further knowing that she just wanted to move on and leave it in the past. The memories that Augustus`s return had brought up were painful, but hearing that her brother had stood up for her and chosen her in a way that her father never had, Tania finally felt no more insecurity about where she stood with her brother. She and Arthur had always been close growing up, she had always known that he was their father's favourite mainly due to him being the oldest and male, but she had never felt jealous of him bizarrely. She was proud of everything he had achieved and he had done it in such a way that honoured their mother and not just their father. The entire country respected him not because he was to be feared but because he had always treated them with honour and kindness. The fact that Arthur had stepped up and protected her from a problem that she had brought to his door made her love and trust him even more./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Feeling a sense of freedom and openness for the first time since she had left the fort all those years ago, Tania relaxed down into a chair with a smile on her face. Sat in the private garden courtyard she couldn't help but admire the view. The sun had finally worked its magic on the flowers and shrubbery reviving them after being battered and blown in the many storms prior to Tania's arrival. The blood red roses were Tania's favourite, the mixture of delicate petals and fierce thorns were a constant reminder to her that it was possible to be both in this world. Rubbing her fingers together, Tania tried to massage the life back into them while not agitating the blisters that had developed that morning thanks to Tristan's archery lesson. Archery had been a mixed experience. Patience, as Tristan had kept saying, was key and Tania had never been known to possess much patience. But what the archery lesson had allowed her to do was talk for the first time since everything had happened to Tristan./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The best thing Tania had decided about Tristan was that he was very happy just to listen. She probably hadn't been as focused as Tristan would have liked, but he must have realised that she just needed to vent. She hadn't wanted to burden the girls, they had enough on their plate with settling in and Farica had gone through arguably more than she had with Augustus`s return. She could have confided in Lancelot but there was still an element of awkwardness. She didn't entirely understand where she stood with him. On the one hand he was one of her closest friends and had been since she was a child. She had grown up alongside him and he was intrinsically linked with the woman that she had become, and yet there was something inside her that was bothered by his impending nuptials, something that was pushing him away based on the knowledge he now had someone else in his life. So in response to all of that Tania had felt a comfort in Tristan's presence, she had no idea if had listened to everything she had been saying but he had nodded along in understanding and occasionally responded to her open ended questions. What she appreciated most though was his lack of judgement, well of her personal life anyway, her archery technique was another matter. Tania knew that he would never tell others what she had shared with him, she hadn't known Tristan long but she already knew that she could trust him with her life and her secrets./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Marie was meant to have met Tania 10 minutes ago and as per usual she had got distracted by something she had been doing in the forge. She had been so busy hammering away she had forgotten to keep track of the time. Working in the forge was helping her keep busy, Marie hated not having anything to do and she could only ride Oskar so much. Dagonet had been thankful for her help and since Farica had also been helping him in medical he was a lot less stressed than when they had first arrived. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs well as giving her something to do, Marie enjoyed the fact that it was a solid work out. It have her an excuse to swing some swords about and sharpen her skills, occasionally even Dagonet sparred with her in the privacy of the back room. Having just finished the last of her tasks for the morning, Marie yelled goodbye to Dagonet and took off at a run, excited to meet up with Tania./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Passing through the walled entrance to the courtyard, Marie ran her hands through the vines of honeysuckle. Slowing to a walk she resisted the urge to jump at Tania and surprise her, instead she unceremoniously collapsed into the chair next to her, covering the light white chair in a covering of dust and coal. Dusting down her dusky brown tunic and releasing her hair from a messy plat, Marie dived right in to telling Tania all about the evening before. They had missed her in the tavern for dinner but everyone knew that the time Tania and Arthur spent together was important to the both of them and were quite frankly glad that they had the evening off from meetings. What had started as a quite a calm evening had rapidly become a loud a raucous one once Vanora and Farica had gone off to bed. Left with the Knights, Marie had suggested a game of cards. At this point in the story Tania snorted to Marie's right, Tania knew that Marie was a secret card shark and was very rarely beaten and as she expected, Marie went on to express her joy in having taken all the Knights for a ride. The evening had been filled with drinking and gambling and Marie had felt completely comfortable chilling out with the guys without Tania or Farica, she well and truly felt integrated with the group now./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Marie continued describing the spiralling events of the card games to Tania much to her friend's amusement and only stopped talking once she noticed Tania's raised eyebrows. It was only then Marie realised that she had started talking about how when the others had all sloped off to bed, it ended up being just her and Galahad sat around the fire in the hearth. Trying to stop the blush forming in her cheeks, Marie just responded with her best death glare. Unsurprisingly, Tania didn't seem to believe Marie's constant proclamations that nothing was going on even though it was true. Despite not enjoying Galahads company romantically, not yet anyway, Marie had been surprised by how easy she had found it to talk to him. As a general rule Marie didn't particularly like discussing her emotions or how she was feeling, however she had found it easy to be open and honest with him. Outside Farica and Tania, she couldn't even remember anyone else she had felt so comfortable with apart from maybe her sister. Thinking about it now it felt a little weird trusting someone fairly new like that, but she couldn't exactly talk to Tania about her suspicions about Lancelot and Guinevere. At first she thought that maybe she had misheard their conversation but having seen the looks between them since then, she knew that her first instinct was right, plus Galahad had all but confirmed her suspicions when she was finally brave enough to bring it up. Looking over at Tania who had finally stopped trying to extract information from her and was now sat with a small smirk on her face, Marie decided that it was best for her friend not to know. After all what she didn't know couldn't hurt her and after all that had happened recently Marie didn't want her to bring her fairly good mood down. No, for now Marie would keep what she had learnt to herself and pray that she was in fact wrong./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 **Farica**

Farica had spent the entire morning contemplating in the meadow. Sat by the lakeside she had gone through her mental checklist of all the things that should be ready for when her children arrived later that day. Running her hands through the daises she had sat and reminisced about all the little details and quirks that they had. The thing that still made laugh to this day was that none of her children actually looked like her, if she hadn't given birth to them herself she would have doubted that they were hers. Apart from their darker more olive skin tone, everything about their appearance mirrored their father, starting with their varying shades of blonde hair which couldn't be a starker contrast from her own. The twins had just turned 10 and Farica couldn't help but be proud of the boys that they were becoming. Nuallan was most like his father, they used to stand together on the cliff tops staring out at stormy seas planning trips and adventures that they would take together as father and son if they ever had the chance to leave the island. He was always a fairly quiet child, preferring to observe in silence before making his presence known. But just because he was quiet did not mean he wasn't confident and assertive in his actions. When their father died, Nuallan automatically decided to take on the role of family protector, he was young when he lost his father but even then he decided he would lose no one else.

Nikon his twin brother was a different story. If Nuallan was wild seas and cragged cliff edges crafted by the elements, Nikon was like shattered ice with sharp deadly edges and a cold exterior. Farica didn't love him any less, but when Nikon lost his father, instead of adapting to a new life like Nuallan did, he stepped back and put up walls. At the time Farica had prayed that they were too young to realise what they had lost but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Nikon preferred to deal with things without including emotion, his actions were always logical if not calculating. It's not that he lacked emotion, but more a fear or losing something or someone that he cared for all over again. Farica hoped by bringing them all here they could finally settle as a proper family and that her children would benefit from the love and family that she had developed at Badon Hill.

After her twin boys, Farica had been blessed with her only girl. Her and her husband had been delighted about having her in their world and Farica couldn't believe that her little girl was now 7. Unlike her brothers, Moira was too little to really remember when their father had died or what life was like before that day and maybe that explained why she was happy to see softer and kinder parts of the world. Even from a young age she had led with a compassionate heart and a warm and welcoming exterior. Farica remembered her love of autumn, of Moira running through the fallen leaves and her obsession with the candles that Farica used to light in the darkening evenings. Where the boys were hard and steady, Moira was like the sunlight through the golden leaves of fall. She never shared much about herself, maybe that was something she had inherited from her older brothers, she much preferred learning about other people and shied away from opening herself up to much. When it came to learning Moira was just like her mother, always happy and eager to learn with a growing intellect to back it up. Farica couldn't help but wonder how much her little genius would have learnt in the time they have been apart.

Losing her husband had been the most awful experience of her life but little had she known at the time that she was carrying one final gift from their time together on the day that her and Tania had ran. Jovian was her youngest and at 5 years old his mannerisms and quirks were eerily similar to that of his father despite them never meeting. The best way Farica could describe him was that of tornado with pretty eyes and a heartbeat. A constant flurry of positive energy and enthusiasm, never sitting still and always restless to try new things. Even at 5, Farica new that subtlety was never going to be his thing, he was bold and sparkling like the sun rising every day. She felt that on the whole her family were a fairly quiet affair before Jovian arrived and every day she had spent with him she was sure that he was determined to change that.

Having spent the morning calming herself, Farica had returned to the fort around lunchtime. She was currently trying to keep the feeling of calmness while arranging all the furniture in her new home. Well she said arranging, while Tania had told her that she was just rearranging stuff that had already been perfect before. Tania and Marie had joined her when she had returned wanting to give her encouragement and help reduce her nerves, but evidently with her incessant fussing over the furniture it wasn't working. Her new home was a fairly normal, with 4 rooms upstairs and an open plan downstairs focused around the hearth. The house was situated half way between the Tavern with Vanora, and the quarters where Tania was situated along with the Knights. It was perfect as it allowed her to be close enough for her work and social life but far enough away she could focus on her own family without unnecessary interruptions. Like all of the houses in the upper part of the fort it was a solid stone building with old oak shutters opening out into the cobbled streets. The floors were similar to the walls, a smooth and shadow grey stone worn down over time. Farica had added woven mats and embroidery on the wall to soften the room. She had made sure to use light and airy colours that didn't make the space feel to enclosed or dark. Thankfully at the back of the house the door and shutters opened up into a small garden area, which despite its size allowed some privacy and in turn meant that the kitchen shutters could remain open and let light spill in. Farica had already filled the shelving to the left of the fireplace, stacking it with a variety of leather bound books and herbal ingredients. A working space sat neatly next to it already prepared with medical supplies. Space to the right side had allowed for a table next to the kitchen counter tops that were spread along the back wall. The seating was in the middle of the room where Tania and Marie were currently sat watching Farica flit about and it wasn't until guards announced that she had visitors at the main gate that Farica finally stood still.

Walking towards the gate, Farica was nervous as hell, feeling Tania squeeze her hand she let out a deep breath. The moment she saw them it was like all of her nerves had vanished. Her children were finally with her and they could start being a family again.

(It wasn't until later that day and much to her annoyance and Marie's amusement that she realised that the scrawny ginger stray cat Moira had picked up on her travels, was also going to be member of the family. But as Marie had gleefully reminded her 'you can't pick your family.')


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 **Lancelot**

So the time had finally come, and Lancelot was slowly realising that instead of spending the entire time running up to this moment in denial, he probably should have been preparing. He had watched Farica's reunion with her children from the battlements above the main gate with interest, well he had actually been watching Tania next to Farica with interest, but nobody would know that. Farica's obvious joy at seeing her children was understandable but what he hadn't expected was the effect it would have on Tania. He knew that Tania blamed herself for Farica and her children separating but was still surprised by how emotional she was about the children's return. Lancelot had never really seen Tania interact with children, she occasionally spent time with Vanora and Bors' brood but never on a level that was this personal. Watching her fuss over the older children while simultaneously spinning the youngest boy around Lancelot saw a different side to her. A maternal one. She was so relaxed and at ease interacting and playing with the children while Farica made sure everything was in order that he couldn't help but smile as the sound of her laugh echoed around the high stone walls. It was the first time since she had returned that she looked completely happy and content and seeing her like that made Lancelot want to protect her and keep her that way forever.

As if feeling him watching her, Tania had looked up. Blocking the sun out of her eyes with one hand and letting her other hand fall down onto the head of the little girl now twisting in her skirts instead of her brother, she had smiled and blushed at the sudden realisation of being watched. But she didn't look away, trying to regain her breath and shake her hair completely out of the now ruined plat, she gave a mock curtsey before being pulled off in another direction by another child. For a second Lancelot allowed himself to imagine a future where he could watch Tania play, not with Farica's children but with their own, of a simple world where titles and ranks didn't matter or even exist. He hadn't realised he even could want a future like that until right that very moment, gazing down on a rosy cheeked and breathless Tania beaming with happiness and light, where the troubles of the world no longer existed. It was only when he heard an awkward cough to his left that he realised he was being watched...watching Tania. To his left he tried to casually nod to his gathered brothers in arms while silently thanking the Gods that they couldn't read minds, after all they would all probably laugh at the idea of him in a committed and domestic relationship - especially one by choice. Even they knew that his impending nuptials were more about convenience and helping Arthur than actual love and romance. No, it was a well-known fact that relationship commitment was not his thing. But now after this he couldn't help but wonder if that's because on a subconscious level he had never been able to replace Tania after she left, and had had some deep rooted hope that she would one day return.

Returning his focus to the horizon, he saw the approaching party riding towards the gates, his heart thudding in time to the hoof beats across the dry ground, he realised it really was too late to turn back and cancel this whole thing. As the gates slowly groaned their way open, Lancelot, along with his brothers slowly climbed down the stone stairs to stand with a now present Arthur and Guinevere. Arthur greeted him with an enthusiastic slap on the back and Lancelot did his best not to outwardly grimace and resisted the urge he now had to throw up. This entire experience he decided was far worse than any battle he had fought, why did he agree to marriage of all things? Once the gathered riders had finally come to a stop, the world seemed to hold its breath as his bride-to-be finally stepped out of the carriage. Now Lancelot had been expecting many things but this was not it, by the looks of things he wasn't entirely cursed. The first thing he noticed about her was her perfectly straight waist length icy platinum hair. She stood with a sense of poise that matched her hair and features. Her complexion was that of ivory, her skin unnaturally smooth and her figure highlighted with sharp defined edges, none highlighted more than her prominent high cut cheekbones. Lancelot's eyes were automatically drawn to her crystal blue ones exaggerated by her dark makeup and silvery grey dress, she literally was the epitome of what he thought an ice queen would look like. He just prayed that her personality was not as cold as her appearance.

'Damn you got lucky' Bors whispered to him under his breath…'it could have been a hell of a lot worse!'

Lancelot fixed him with a withering glare while Gawain and Galahad coughed back laughter. He was thankful that Dagonet and Tristan were keeping their opinions to themselves and yet he couldn't help but silently agree with Bors`s assessment. Staying quiet he watched as Arthur greeted her and her people to the Fort and then watched in surprise as Guinevere also welcomed her with a surprisingly genuine smile. That he had not expected. It turned out that her name was Valentina and as Lancelot took her hand to guide her inside to the main hall he felt himself relax a little. The worst part was over, he had finally met her face to face and she didn't seem to be a hideous monster, in fact there would certainly be benefits of being with such an attractive women. Glancing over his shoulder to nod goodbye to the others who were leaving them, Arthur and Guinevere to sort out the details, he nearly laughed out loud at the exaggerated thumbs up of approval they were all doing, well everyone except Tristan. He couldn't help but notice the concerned look in Tristan's eyes and the small glance he made to the right. Twisting a little too late trying to see what he had been looking at, he was unable to see a hidden figure stood behind one of the many stone pillars in the courtyard. So he kept going with a smile on his face unaware that Tania stood mere feet away desperately trying to hold back the tears that she feared would fall while mentally chastising herself for giving a damn.


	20. Chapter 20

p class="MsoNormal"Chapter 20/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"strongTania/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"A week had gone by since the Fort had received its newest arrivals and Tania had been in a bad mood ever since. She was adamant that it had absolutely nothing to do with Lancelot`s new beau but Farica and Marie absolutely did not believe her. Farica`s children had tried their best to keep her smiling and Tania had to admit that she did feel better around them, but this weekend they had gone to meet their Aunt a village over before she left to go up north back home. So with nothing to distract her at the moment, Marie and Farica had dragged her for a walk around the Fort. Everything this week had been awful, even training with Tristan. During training she would flit between totally distracted and angry as hell and both states routinely left her with her backside on the floor and Tristan's unimpressed countenance looking down at her. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanPlus if that wasn't bad enough there was yesterday. Proving that when you don't think things can get worse, they get worse. Firstly there had been dinner. Arthur had planned a lovely small dinner with Guinevere, herself, Lancelot and Valentina to celebrate the impending nuptials. Now normally at these things, she and Lancelot would joke around and laugh about formal posh dinners trying to wind her brother up while Guinevere looked on with a stony expression as Arthur became more and relaxed and eventually would come out of his formal 'king' persona and enjoy their company like the good old days. But this time Tania was on her own, she had sat through dinner gritting her teeth and trying not to baulk at everyone else being all lovey dovey and full of excitement of the wedding to come. Valentina and Guinevere had seemingly become best friends and so of course there was a big deal made out of Valentina asking her to be maid of honour. Lancelot had spent the entire evening trying to catch her eye and talk with her while Arthur had been so wrapped up in his belief that they were all finally becoming one big happy family that he had failed to see that Tania was on the verge of gouging out her own eyes with the fish knife. Oh and just in case that wasn't bad enough, afterwards while walking back to her own quarters she had stumbled upon Lancelot and Guinevere having a hushed conversation in private. The first thing she had noticed before diving back round the corner was that they had been standing far to close and by far too close she meant they looked like they were about to get it on there and then in the corridor. Between that and the snippets of conversation she overhead she couldn't get away fast enough. Last night had led her to the conclusion that any crush she did have on Lancelot had to go away and fast, he clearly didn't feel the same way and she didn't want to be taken for any more of a fool than she clearly was. Kicking the stones along the ground as they walked through the courtyard Tania tried to shift her focus from the night before to Marie./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'I think I'm in love…..'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Not entirely sure that she had heard Marie correctly she looked up to confirm not only had she really not been listening but that Marie of all people was now in love too. Turns out that Marie had realised her love for Galahad when she said goodbye to him as he went riding off with the other Knights and Arthur for Lancelot's final hunt as a single man. Upon saying goodbye Marie had realised that she didn't want for him to go anywhere without her and had therefore come to the terrifying conclusion that she was now suffering the worst of all emotions: love. However just before Tania had time to respond to her best friends slightly negative view on love; that she just so happened to agree with at this present time, she heard a panicked yell from across the yard./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'We`re under attack!'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tania froze. Did the soldier just say that the fort was under attack because that was surely not possible? span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSeconds ticked by as slowly the fort was thrown into chaos and Tania felt like she couldn't breathe, her chest was growing tighter and the world was spinning. She needed her brother, she needed Lancelot. They would know what to do whereas she didn't. It was only Farica yelling her name that brought her back to reality./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Tania...Tania...TATIANNA! Arthur's not here and no one can find Guinevere. You have to take charge. You have to lead NOW!'/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Looking at Farica in shock she shook her head. Where the hell was Guinevere? It should be her taking charge, Tania felt sick; she wasn't ready, not for this. Looking up at a sea of scared faces and with the first wave of injured people crashing towards the main hall for shelter, Tania realised that ready or not she didn't have a choice. Someone had to lead, and that someone was her. Trying to remember all of Tristan's lessons about fighting with her head and not her heart, she spotted a nearby bench and climbed on top./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Marie, sound the warning bell at the far end of the battlements, the entire fort needs to know that we are under attack. After that you need to find the Queen, there is obviously a reason she isn't here make sure she is Ok and then stay with her and protect her at all costs... oh and if you discover Valentina secure her too, we can't have Arthur's peace deal falling apart.' Gaining confidence as she spoke, Tania took a sword from a soldier standing below her./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'Farica you need to run medical from inside the main hall. You have permission to do whatever you need to do to whomever. All supplies are at your disposal... the rest of us will contain this attack. We must stop the enemy from spreading into the rest of the fort. I want archers up on the battlements and all those with swords with me. Once Marie has rung the bell more soldiers will join us but we cannot wait, we must act now. '/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Not waiting to see if her speech had any effect she moved forward off the bench and down the concrete steps and out of the courtyard to the main streets. The confidence she had gained with the realisation that the soldiers were moving with her and listening to her instructions was soon dashed when she looked ahead and realised that the attackers were rogue Woads and led by none other than Fenwic. Tania swore, it certainly explained how the attackers were able to make it to the inner streets without anyone noticing, Fenwic must have let them in through a side gate. Not wanting to appear rattled, she yelled encouragement to the men around her before bracing herself for the impending attack./p  
p class="MsoNormal"For what felt like hours, Tania just kept on fighting. Ducking and dodging, parrying and striking, Tania was filled with so much adrenaline she didn't even notice the small cuts and bruises that had begun covering her body. There had been no time to grab extra armour and she was just thankful that her and Marie had already been in leggings and not thick heavy dresses. That would have been yet another disaster. Exhausted and unable to tell if the blood on her was her own or from somebody else, Tania hoped that her friends were having better luck than she was. Spotting the enemy preparing for another assault at their front line, she roared in defiance before turning to the soldiers and yelled the importance of holding the line and that if it broke then the rest of the fort would be over run. No matter what they had to protect the women and children./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Hearing her name being shouted out from somewhere Tania stopped and looked around. Not able to look around for much longer she did one final sweep with her eyes before spotting a movement in an upper window. Blocking and spinning out of an oncoming attack she looked back up. After realising who had been yelling her name she felt her heart sink. In one of the upper rooms of a house was Vanora and the children. She later learned that they had been visiting a friend before the attack started. Making her way across the street to the house entrance she realised that she was not the only one who had heard Vanora yell. Ahead of her Tania saw Fenwic also making his way through to the house. Ever since that first night in the tavern he had sworn revenge on her and Vanora and if Tania didn't get there quick enough, she knew how this was going to end and there was no way in hell she was going to let that happen./p  
p class="MsoNormal"By the time she reached the house, some of the houses further down had been set alight and the fire was spreading rapidly towards them. Knowing that if Fenwic didn't kill them then the fire would she kicked down the front door he had blocked and followed him inside. Seeing him half way up the stairs Tania threw the knife from her belt. Burying itself deep in his right shoulder Fenwic tripped forwards landing heavily on the wooden frame making the banister splinter off. Grabbing a piece of splintered wood he hurled it at Tania who dove behind the upturned kitchen table for cover. Sending a quick prayer up to the Gods, Tania gave chase. By the time she made it to the back room the house was starting to fill with acrid black smoke. Bursting into the room she just managed to tackle Fenwic as he drew his sword towards Vanora. With both of them now rolling around of the ground hitting and punching whatever they could, Tania screamed for Vanora to grab the children and run./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kicking Fenwic off of her, Tania managed to roll away just as a beam came crashing down. The fire had finally reached the house and the flames were licking at the structure of the building causing it to gradually collapse. Hearing further screams from the hallway Tania felt torn, part of her wanted to stay and finish off Fenwic but the rest of her knew that her friend needed her. Tearing her gaze away from Fenwic who was making his way out the window, Tania stumbled over destroyed furniture and fallen beams back towards where the stairs should have been. Reaching what would have been the top she cursed realising why Vanora and the children were now huddled in the far end of the hallway. The entire stairwell had collapsed. The flames having made their way inside of house were emitting such an immense heat that even moving was becoming a challenge. Deciding that a window was also their best option, Tania started crawling towards the others and the glint of light remaining./p 


	21. Chapter 21

p class="MsoNormal"Hurrying into the main hall Farica didn't have time to be overwhelmed by the number of injured already filling the large room. Bodies were littered on the ground, on tables, in fact anywhere where there was space to lie a casualty down. The sound of people screaming and crying was echoing around the hall, it was sound that hammered its way into your brain and stayed there for the rest of your life. The vomit inducing smell had already begun to build despite there not even being time for wounds to be infected yet. The mixture of blood and dirt made the polished stone surface unbearably slippy and Vanora had to fight to stay on her feet while avoiding colliding with broken bodies. Fighting becoming overwhelmed by her senses Farica decided it was best to just start and methodically make her way round the room and so she pulled up her skirts and stepped into the chaos./p  
p class="MsoNormal"After half an hour of solid patients her blouse was soaked in blood, cursing at the fact she had chosen to wear a white one she continued stitching up the wound in front of her. Reaching for the bowl with the herbal salve she only half noticed a woman striding towards her. It wasn't until the woman's mustard skirts were directly in her eye line that she looked up. Resisting the urge to sigh at the interruption that she really didn't need, she glanced upwards. To her surprise it wasn't what Farica had expected at all, instead of being a noble lady badgering her with questions and requests like she had just dealt with previously, it was a severe looking woman whose serious face was framed by her long dirty curly blonde hair thrown half up and whose muscular physique was paired with rolled up sleeves revealing her already bloody hands. Not even giving Farica time to enquire, the lady grabbed the spare medical kit from Farica's feet./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'I have been practising medicine all my life, I am good at what I do and you need help. Right now you need to trust me and let me start on other patients.' Raising her eyebrows as if to dare Farica to challenge her, the lady looked her dead in the eye./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Knowing that she needed to make a split second decision, Farica trusted her gut. The woman conveyed a solid confidence that Farica was impressed by. Her hands were bloody so it was obvious that with or without Farica's permission this lady was going to treat the injured and Farica knew without even looking round the room that there were too many injured for just one medic to handle. Nodding her head, Farica pointed./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'You start on the left and work your way up, I will keep working on this right hand side and we will meet in middle.' Turning back to her patient Farica didn't even wait for a reply. She also didn't notice the young girl following her mother and entering the fray without so much as flinching at the sights before her./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Meanwhile on the other side of the Fort Marie's heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to break out of her chest. Ducking past another attacker she sprinted up the stairs. Not wanting to let Tania down she surged forward along the battlement wall, barking out orders to soldiers who were not yet fully aware of situation going on below. Gripping the sword that she had grabbed off a fallen soldier she focused on getting to the bell tower. She had to raise the alarm, she had to let the rest of the settlement know that they were under attack and she prayed that the Knights were within hearing distance of the bell and would return./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Finally at the top she slammed through the door, knocking the surprised guard out of the way and launched herself at the bell. Ringing the bell as hard as she could, she barely had time to catch her breath before starting her next objective. Guinevere and Valentina. Despite not liking either woman, Marie knew that Tania was right that they had to be found. There was obviously a reason that the queen hadn't appeared, Marie just had to figure out what that reason was and make sure she wasn't in trouble./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Looking down below, Marie had a perfect view of how the attack was unfolding. Spotting Fenwic at the head of rouge woads attacking, Marie barely suppressed her rage. Seeing that he was heading straight for Tania, she wished that she could be down there helping and fighting by her side. Fires had been started in the houses surrounding the main area of the fight and it was roaring onwards with little resistance. Seeing Tania stop, Marie screamed for her to keep moving until following her line of sight and realising why. Her heart sunk. Of all days for something like this to happen, today was not it. What if she never got round to telling Galahad what she felt? Did she even want to tell him? These were things that she may now never know or experience. Normally she liked a good fight but this one was damn inconvenient as for the first time in a long time Marie felt like she had something to lose. Glancing to the horizon she hoped to spot the knights riding from out of the trees, but they weren't. There was no one there. They were on their own, and it was all going to come down to Tania./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Planning a way through the melee below Marie started running towards a back kitchen exit that led inside to the main hall and the rest of the castle. Her progress was constantly halted by the crowds of panicking citizens all trying to reach the safety of inside the castle, as well as the odd attackers who had broken off from the main fighting group. Just as she was within meters of the door she heard a scream. Spinning around she saw a young woman similar to her in age being cornered by three of the rouge woads. The woman's light butterscotch blonde hair was plastered across her freckled face as she desperately tried to claw at the hands that were around her throat. Without a seconds thought Marie charged at the men. Like usual she didn't have a plan, just to get between them and their target. Slicing open the back of the first attacker crippling him instantly, she blocked the following strikes from the remaining two doing everything she could to protect the woman. After what felt like an age her arms were starting to feel heavy from the weight and strength of the blows and a wound to her stomach was bleeding profusely. Stumbling backwards she knew that she couldn't keep it up much longer and started to accept the inevitable. Pushing the woman into the house behind them, Marie yelled for the woman to block the doors and hide. Turning one more time, having decided that if she was going to go down she was going to go down fighting till the end, she let out a string of profanities before charging at them one more time./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Feeling her strength slowly leaving her and each parry becoming harder and harder to block, she finally was kicked to the ground causing her to inhale dust and dirt. Trying to cough it up but to no avail, she could only watch as one woad stepped over her and forced his way into the house while the other prepared himself for the final swing of his blade to end her. Despite being barely conscious she felt him grab a fistful of hair and pull her head up towards him and she knew that this was when she was finally going to meet the Gods./p 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 **Arthur and Guinevere**

The weekend had started well, in fact the past week and gone much better than he had expected. Arthur was pleased to have been able to come hunting with the knights. They had left Friday afternoon, bidding farewell to the ladies at the fort. He had kissed Guinevere goodbye and gave her final reassurance that her meeting with Merlin would go well and that she should enjoy the time she would spend with her grandfather while he was gone. In fact, leaning back in his saddle he realised that she was probably with him now not far away in another part of the woodland. He hoped the time spent with Merlin would help relax her, he had noticed during the past couple of months that she had been becoming more and more tense. Despite what her and his sister thought, he had noticed their struggle to bond, he hoped that with Valentina's arrival at the Fort that it would help bring them closer together and create a middle ground. He knew becoming Queen had been difficult for his wife and completely understood that the sudden increase of attention and expectation on them both was sometimes too much. She had gone from a captive hostage to Queen of an entire kingdom in a very small amount of time with very little time to adjust to how the world had moved on and changed while she was a prisoner. The arrival of Valentina had already seemingly improved the relationship between her and his second in command that had also recently become strained for a reason he did not know. Guinevere and Lancelot always seemed to switch between agreeing on everything to giving each other the cold shoulder, and until recently it had been a cold shoulder phase. It had always been important for them to get along as the other knights had always been hesitant and sometimes even distrustful when talking with Guinevere and so he had always relied on Lancelot to encourage the others to accept her. Merging two communities who had fought and killed each other for so long was never going to be easy and maybe he had been too optimistic to expect everything to have settled down in less than a year.

Watching his knights relaxed and enjoying their time out here on the hunt made him smile. They had all been through so much and he often felt guilty that his decisions had not always been what was best for them. Every time he made a decision he considered the impact on all of them, he had lost so many men over the years and nearly losing Dagonet through the ice and then Lancelot and Tristan in battle had shaken him badly and his way of dealing with it had been throwing himself into his work trying to prevent it from ever happening again. But riding with them now was starting to make him think that maybe he had withdrawn too much. For months he had only really seen them in meetings and had not realised how much of their lives he was missing. They had stayed in Britain for him basically giving up their own dreams of returning to Samartia and yet despite him making every decision with them in mind, he wasn't even sure if they knew how much they meant to him.

Listening to them talk about what they had been up to with his sister and her ladies made him fight back a laugh. Lancelot had told him that the three of them had been welcomed immediately by the others but some of the stories surprised him at just how much. Hearing his sister being referred to as Tania rather than Tatianna had thrown him to begin with but he was starting to get used to it. It was good to hear that Farica was still the calming and sensible force in his sister's life and it sounded like she had found a mischievous match in Marie. Arthur only imagined the trouble they were getting up to with the likes of Gawain and Galahad, as the youngest four he was sure they sometimes gave the others a bit of a headache. Tatianna had never been short on energy that was for sure. At least from what he was hearing he didn't need to worry about her finding friends and things to do. But there still was that big question on why she had found it so easy to integrate with his men and not his sister. It seemed that she was closer to Bors`s partner Vanora than her own sister in law. Furrowing his brow in confusion he almost missed the sound that had brought all the others to a stop in front of him and that was the Forts emergency warning bell.

In another part of the woodland Guinevere was rubbing her temples while trying to bite back a sigh. Standing in the woods with her grandfather she had hoped that talking with him would help guide her in her future but as per usual her grandfather was talking in riddles. Normally she felt better surrounded by nature, she had grown up and lived among the forests and woods of Britain her entire life. The time she had spent as a prisoner in a cold stone cell had increased her dislike of enclosed spaces and normally being out here free with nature would automatically improve her mood but for some reason that wasn't working. Looking up at the leaves rustling in the breeze Guinevere tried to distract herself by watching how they danced backwards and forwards emitting glimpses of light from the sun. Kicking softly at the twigs, she waited patiently for her Grandfather to resume talking.

'Fate had two paths for you my dear, a fate entwined with Tatianna as much as her brother. It seems the Gods have been watching you all with great interest.'

Guinevere couldn't help but snort at her Grandfathers statement, it's not that she didn't respect the Gods it was just that the idea that her life was out of her control and already set was an incredibly uncomfortable thought. Anticipating that her Grandfather had more to say she raised an eyebrow at him prompting him to continue.

'Tatianna`s arrival was the most unlikely of the two and least expected. Both paths had benefits and drawbacks. If she had not come into your life, fate would have made you a mother by now. Children would have blessed your life but it would have been a life cut cruelly short for both you and Arthur and the future prospects of your children along with Britain would have been filled with darkness and despair.'

'And now that she`s here, what does that mean? What does fate say my life is to be?

'Fate has blessed you and Arthur with a long a happy life. Yes there will be struggles and danger but the Gods clearly feel that you both deserve a future filled with happiness and love…'

Sensing her Grandfathers pause Guinevere froze, her supposed future sounded perfect but in a way that was almost too good to be true and knowing the Gods there would be a cost. There was always a cost, a constant battle of keeping the scale of the universe even. For all the good in the world there must a bad and that meant that before he even said the rest she knew in her heart what it was.

'But sadly you and Arthur will never be blessed with children.'

Guinevere wasn't sure what she felt, she felt like she had been sucker punched. On the one side her legs had gone weak and she felt like she was going to throw up and yet on the other hand she felt entirely numb. Resisting her Grandfathers comforting arm she waived away any support. This news wasn't a complete surprise, her and Arthur had been trying for a couple of months now and with no luck, she had suspected something but had avoided getting conformation. She had known that there was a constant expectation on a Queen to produce an heir and now realising that would never be the case she felt cold all over. Her loyalties had always been to her people, every decision she made was with the Woad people in mind. She had a responsibility to them and as Queen of Britain she had advanced their cause to a place that no one had ever dared to dream was possible. Her people were her world, her reason for everything and she was scared that not having a child would limit her ability to influence decisions despite being queen. She knew her mind was avoiding all emotional consequences of the news, and that when in shock her mind focused on everything else but emotions.

She wouldn't say that she was unemotional. She had emotions and didn't necessarily see them as a weakness but she always struggled to understand the benefit of expressing them. To her there was a time and a place for emotions and that they needed to be kept in check so that things could be dealt with in a logical and controlled manner. By focusing on what not having a child meant in relation to her people and their future, it allowed her to not focus on the pain that this this news would cause her personally. When in doubt or struggling she always focused on her duty to her people and that is what she was doing now, distracting herself from the personal consequences of what Merlin had said. Still fighting the urge to breakdown Guinevere composed herself but just as she was about to ask Merlin if there was anything else he wanted to discuss, the sound of the Forts warning bell cut through the air.

 **Notes**

 **Out of interest does anybody else have a distinct inability to write a story chronologically ? I've written quite a lot recently but its all things that wont be relevant for at least another 20 chapters. Oops! Also just a little bit of info for you- My ancestors are from the Cameron Clan up in Scotland and going through the history my people were in fact Picts/Woads which is pretty cool. I have also been listening to a lot of Taylor Swift recently so if your reading any of my work in the future and recognise some Tay Tay then you are correct. I just want to thank anyone who is still reading my work, i hope your enjoying it as much as i am writing it.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 **The Knights**

'The warning bell. That's the Forts warning bell.'

The knights all turned to Galahads statement. Every single one of them couldn't help but feel the chill running down their spines as their minds started running through the names of the people potentially in danger.

'Tania's in danger.'

Galahad couldn't help but roll his eyes at Lancelot's statement. `It's not just Tania genius, it's the whole damn fort, and other people do live there you know.'

'Including your very own bride to be.' Gawain added, flinching when Lancelot glared at him while spinning is horse around. 'Wouldn't want to forget that…' he continued to mutter under his breath.

Ignoring his friends ongoing stare battle Galahad kicked his mount into canter following Arthur and the others straight back to the fort. Riding hard and fast there was no time for anymore conversation which was probably for the best as everyone had become incredibly tense. Galahad fought to control his nerves, his mind kept drifting through every worst case scenario and to his surprise every single one of them included the same person. Marie. He knew he cared about her but now that she was in danger he couldn't help but feel that it was more than that. He had a twisting feeling in his gut like he was going to be sick, glancing over at Lancelot he realised that the feeling seemed to be mutual. But the realisation that they were in a similar boat made Galahad even more confused and wondering if he really cared about Marie as much as they all knew Lancelot cared for Tania. Gripping the reins harder as they approached the main gate Galahad only prayed that they weren't too late, they had been riding for at least half an hour and a lot could happen in that time.

Thundering through the main gates the knights forced their mounts through the crowds of people trying to escape the main fight unfolding in the centre of town. Yelling for them to all split off, Arthur took off down the main road with Lancelot and Bors while Gawain and Galahad forked off right, and Tristan and Dagonet to the left. Finally having made it through the final remnants of people fleeing, Galahad and Gawain came to a halt in the courtyard leading off for the main kitchens. Scanning the now deserted streets Galahad took in the disarray and destruction. Outside tables were overturned with nearby houses ransacked with items strewn everywhere, hearing the recognisable sound of clashing swords he took off once more not waiting for Gawain to catch up. Turning the corner he felt his heart drop, Marie was barely conscious kneeling on the floor with her head yanked up and at sword point. Even though he only faltered for a second, it was enough time for Gawain to catch up and go flying past him tackling the Woad responsible to the floor. Seeing that Gawain was more than capable of finishing the man off, Galahad went straight to Marie`s side. Despite being barely conscious, Marie kept trying to waive him off and pushing him towards the house behind her. It wasn't until he heard a piecing scream from within the house in question that he realised that Marie was trying to get him to help somebody else. But yet again before he had time to react, Gawain went barrelling past him once again, refocusing his attention back to a now unconscious Marie Galahad silently remembered to thank his cousin for once again having his back.

When the Knights had started separating in different directions Tristan knew he had to make the decision of where he was needed most. Lancelot would go straight to find Tania, Galahad with Marie and Bors to Vanora. Arthur would go straight to the front of the fight and Dagonet to Medical. Medical. That caused him the realisation that the only person no one would be looking to find was Farica and for some reason that affected him more than he thought it would.

Following Dagonet through the pushing crush of people still trying to get inside, he heard Farica's voice trying to calm people and keep people at bay after clearly being brought outside by the chaos. Turning to try and spot her in the frantic crowd he saw her being pushed further and further towards the edge of the wall. As if sensing his friends thoughts Dagonet called out to him.

'Go get her, I will calm this crowd and get them inside.'

Instinct kicking in, Tristan forcibly pushed his way forward keeping is eyes on Farica as the crowd shifted once more, this time thankfully pulling her back away from the wall edge. Stepping into the newly created space behind her, he grabbed her around the waist with one hand and pushed back a man who had grabbed her by the wrist, he growled causing the man to baulk and immediately try and back away. Farica must have realised who was behind her at the same time as the aggressive man in front of her had; as after initially tensing she had turned her body towards him, grasping his tunic and allowing him to protect her while guiding them to the side out the way. Once out of crowd, Tristan realised that her blouse was stained red with blood. Eyes darting across her he looked for any kind of wound but when he finally returned to her face she had a soft smile as she shook to her head to indicate that none of the blood was hers. Before either of them had a chance to say anything they heard Bors`s unmistakable yell.

'Arthur needs you back now! One final push back.'

Nodding his head to Bors he turned back to Farica and realised that neither of them had actually let go of each other. Now if he had been anything like Lancelot he's sure he would have said something charming or witty, hell even romantic. But he certainly was not like Lancelot, and romance and flirting had absolutely no place in the middle of a fight, but looking at Farica now he had an urge to say something but had no idea what. But looking down at her in that moment he also realised that Farica was not the kind of women who expected him to say anything, at least not now in the middle of everything. No, Farica just gave him a knowing look and an encouraging push to get back to what he needed to do and with one last confident nod she made her own way back inside back to her own duties.

From the moment they had entered the Fort Lancelot couldn't help but search for the one face he wanted to see. Following Arthur towards the centre of the Fort they heard the unmistakable noise of a fight becoming louder and louder. Confused at the sight of Woads fighting Woads, Lancelot looked at Arthur to confirm who the enemy actually was. Once it had become clear who was on which side, Lancelot, Bors and Arthur fell into the familiar rhythm of fighting that they knew so well. Lancelot, having just ducked under an oncoming attacker, was surprised to feel Bors hand grabbing him and dragging him towards the periphery of the melee. Finally to the side and out the way, Lancelot wondered what the hell was so important that they had left Arthur's side. Confused at what Bors wanted he followed the direction of his yells and waving arms and when he finally saw what was happening he couldn't help but scream. He watched in horror as Tania seemingly half slipped/half collapsed out of a top floor window of a house on fire after remaining up there to safely pass down Bors and Vanora`s younger children to Vanora`s outstretched arms. Watching her hit the floor Lancelot's blood ran cold, sprinting past Bors he skidded to a halt and threw himself down on the floor next to her soot covered body.

As Bors grabbed his brood and made for the safety of the castle, Lancelot pulled Tania onto his lap. With fear flickering through his eyes Lancelot desperately shook Tania trying to bring her round. Resorting to calling her by her full name while pinching at her cheeks, he finally let out a breath when she attempted to slap his hand away annoyed by his presence. If it hadn't been such a serious situation he probably would have laughed at the way she scrunched up her nose in annoyance.

'Tatianna, Tatianna can you hear me? Come on Tani open your eyes, wake up for me Tani. There we go, easy now….'

Interrupting Lancelot's attempts to wake her up, Tania squinted up at him while smacking away his hands. 'Ughh would you get off of me, I feel like I'm going to throw up enough as it is without you prodding me in the face.`

Smirking at Tania`s response and relieved that she was clearly in better shape than he had initially feared, Lancelot helped Tania sit up, selectively ignoring the fact that she was still in his lap. Cupping her chin and tilting her head up into the light, he kept one eye out for any oncoming danger while wiping as much of the charcoal and soot off her face. As his adrenaline faded and mind cleared, Lancelot became increasingly aware of how close he and Tania had become. Tania had subconsciously leaned into his touch leaving their foreheads only millimetres apart. Forcing himself to look anywhere but into Tania`s eyes he was thankful when Tania shifted and coughed awkwardly having also become aware of how intimately they were sat. The echoing sound of the fighting that had seemingly abated for a second came back full force, reminding Lancelot that there was still an ongoing fight occurring and that he should probably get up and go back and help Arthur. Getting up he noticed that Tania`s attention had also shifted to what was going to happen next. Pulling her to her feet he was surprised by the aggression in her eyes. He had seen her angry before but this time there was a ferocity that he had never seen before, this time she was well and truly pissed off and true to his self he couldn't help but being a little turned on by it. Shaking the highly inappropriate thoughts from his head yet again he looked up to see that she was waiting for him before re-joining the fray and so he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward back towards the fight.

'Whatever happens stay beside me, right beside me.' Slicing an oncoming man with his other hand, they started moving forward. 'No matter what I've got you. I promise I will never let go. Just stay with me'

Spotting Tristan returning back down to fight next to Arthur they both started to fight their way across to them both- striking and parrying in sync as they did. Lancelot made sure he always had one eye on where Tania was, and at the moments he could glance over at her he was impressed by what he saw. He knew she could fight to some extent, he had used to train her of course as a teenager but the way she was handling herself showed a massive step up from even when she first arrived that night in the tavern. He couldn't help but fight a niggling suspicion that somebody had been training her. Back at Arthur's side he nodded at his friend's thankful expression for helping his sister and joined in the last and final push to force the rouge Woads to retreat.


	24. Chapter 24

**Tania and Farica**

After Tania had re-joined the fight next to her brother, the rouge Woads had been forced to retreat not long after. Now sitting next to Marie who was curled up in bed, and even though it was a couple of days later Tania still felt a heightened sense of paranoia. The relationship between the Woads and other Britons had soured immensely, any common ground that everyone had worked so hard to find had dissipated pretty much in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Fenwic had managed to slip away while the rest of the rouges retreated, leaving everyone increasingly tense that there would be another attack. Arthur and Guinevere had been permanently in meetings trying to reassure as many people as possible, while extra patrols had driven everyone else past the point of exhaustion. The casualty count was thankfully not as high as everyone had feared and in many ways that was down to Farica`s and Dagonet`s non-stop treatment of the injured as well as the mystery woman who had since disappeared. Watching Marie toss and turn in her sleep, Tania felt the overwhelming sense of guilt. After the rouges had retreated, Tania had been swept up in the movements of her brother and Lancelot, with both of them keeping her right beside them. The three of them had been standing in the main hall coordinating the forts response when a distressed Galahad came looking for her. He had managed to get an injured Marie to Farica but after repeatedly getting in Farica's way she had sent him to find Tania. Pulling the blankets back up around Marie`s shoulder, Tania internally cursed herself for not going to find her and Farica immediately. The wound to Marie's stomach hadn't been overly deep and yet Farica had explained that the amount of blood she had lost would leave her in a weakened state for a little while. Picking at the thread of one of the blankets, Tania barely glanced up when Farica returned to the room.

'Stop feeling sorry for yourself. If Marie was awake she would give you a swift kick in the backside. These things happen. They`ve happened before and they will happen again. We get injured and hurt- it`s part of the life we chose, so unless you're going to excommunicate yourself to a nunnery and stay in isolation forever, focus on what you can do, not what you didn't.'

Feeling suitably scolded, Tania sighed and nodded and allowed Farica to envelop her in a hug. Marie had spent most of the last couple of days asleep and completely oblivious to the constant carousel of people coming and going from her room. At some point or other every single one of the Knights had visited, with Galahad being an almost permanent fixture along with Tania. The level of concern that Galahad had shown had surprised Tania. It was clear that he and Marie needed to have a long overdue conversation with each other. Thinking of conversations, Tania couldn't help but reflect on pieces of conversations her and Lancelot had had since the attack. Between ensuring that Valentina was ok and the increased patrols, Lancelot hadn't had much spare time but when he had he spent all of it with Tania at Marie`s side. Things had been slightly awkward to begin with, with neither of them knowing what exactly to say. Tania's memory was a bit hazy from falling out the window, but one thing she remembered clear as day was the way he had looked at her as he had gathered her into his lap. It was the first time he had looked at her in such a way that she considered that her feelings weren't just one sided. The time they had spent watching over Marie had reminded them both of how much they enjoyed each other's company away from other people and prying eyes. As Marie had spent the entire time resting or asleep, and wanting to give her and Galahad some privacy, Tania and Lancelot had spent most of their time in the adjoining boudoir through the connecting archway, close enough to help if needed but not too close to be an annoyance. Smiling at the memories of them sprawled out over the recliners playing cards while drinking wine and laughing away the stresses of life, Tania was glad that they could still authentically be themselves and keep things simple with each other, even if it was only for a couple of days. Just for the moment they could pretend that everything was going to be all right and ignore what the immediate future held for the both of them. It was in these moments that Tania decided that no matter what she wanted him in her life even if it was just as a friend, and so as a result she decided that the best thing for everyone was for her to wish him well and support his impending marriage. Her heart would heal eventually and she decided she was lucky to have him in whatever form she could.

Farica couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her, the girls had been through a lot recently but looking at Tania and Marie lying next to each other curled up in blankets, she knew that everything was going to be alright. Having finally finished up in medical earlier that evening, Farica had just come in to check on them before grabbing her shawl and heading out to get some evening air and alone time on the battlements. She enjoyed medicine she did, but sometimes there was just so much blood and death that she needed to take time to breathe and recalibrate. Climbing up to the battlements Farica freed her hair from its tightly wound bun releasing the tension from her head and scalp. Brushing her hand across the top of the wall and looking out towards the setting sun Farica allowed herself to feel alive and embrace it. The sun was slowly slipping behind the far of hills, already casting a growing shadow over the forest. The sky had become a mix of orange and red with the colours bleeding across each other to escape the creeping dark. Spotting a familiar figure standing alone further along the way, Farica hesitated for second, she knew that he had been avoiding her and yet something in her kept pulling her towards him.

'Tania is going to be fine by the way, just needs to rest.' Seeing Tristan raise his eyebrows questioning why she was telling him she couldn't help but roll her eyes at his constant non fussed attitude. 'I saw you check in on her while I was tending Maries wounds. I know you care and not just about her. In fact I have wanted to thank you for your aid during the attack. '

Farica tried not to externally cringe, she had finally thanked him and that was that.

'Your welcome, Medical is always a vulnerable target and I knew Dagonet would need help.'

Now it was Farica's turn to raise her eyebrows. Dagonet. Really? Was he seriously going with Dagonet. She watched him swallow thickly trying to repress any further words coming out. Not sure what exactly to do next in the now uncomfortable silence, Farica started to walk on before mentally kicking herself for being a coward and not dealing with the obvious. Feeling uneasy and trying to deal with conflicting emotions that she had not felt in years since her husband had died, Farica made one more attempt.

'Times moved fast since I arrived, but I've seen enough and I can feel it in your silence. Silence speaks louder than words if you know what to look for….'Taking a deep shaky breath she willed herself to continue… 'And I think that you were worried about me, I know your instinct will be to deny it but just know that for the first time in a while you have given me a glimpse of a life where I may no longer feel alone. A life in which neither of us are alone anymore.'

There she said it. It happened she said it and now she had to admit she felt a little better. Finally embracing the small surge in confidence she looked up at him and smiled, she didn't need him to say anything, she just needed to be honest and put it out there and she had done that. Ever since she had arrived, her and Tristan seemed to always be working with one thing in common. Tania. When he had helped them without thinking when Augustus arrived, that's when she had started to see him differently. He wasn't a big talker, but then again neither was she. They both preferred to show how they felt with actions. She'd known for ages that he had been training Tania and had always admired how quickly he had become a constant supportive presence in her life. Over the months the two of them had often found themselves standing together watching over the others in silence, just letting their presence convey what their lack of words didn't, and so here they were yet again in silence. Not wanting to put too much pressure on him, Farica tilted her head in goodbye and turned to walk away.

'Wait… your right. I've seen a light in you that I haven't seen in a long time. A light that I have been drawn to, ever since I saw you. A light that has sparked something in me that has been dormant for a very long time and honestly I haven't known what to do with that so I just ignored it, until I couldn't. Seeing you in danger affected me more than I realised. '

Startled by what he had actually just admitted, Farica watched him turn and lean on the wall and look out on the setting sun. Taking a couple of seconds to decide on her next move she settled on just moving to stand next to him.

'Well, we could maybe just take it day by day and see where that goes.'

Placing her hand next to his on the wall she couldn't help but smile at the fact that this entire conversation had gone better than she dared hope. She had a feeling that his romantic past was as complicated as hers. Having lost the man she loved, she recognised a certain look in his eye that he occasionally got when he thought no one was looking and it was the same look she knew she occasionally had herself. Sneaking a glance at him she relaxed even further upon seeing a hint of smile grace his face.

As if sensing her looking at him Tristan moved his hand to brush against hers before finally replying.

'Day by day. That I can do.'


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you very much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! Your comments mean the world to me. I'm still going, and still very much intend on finishing it- even though i think that is a long time away! I hope you enjoy the rest of my work.**

 **Marie**

If she wanted too Marie knew that she could spend the day in bed again, she was still recovering and the others would completely understand. But not only would she be bored as heck, she wanted to support Tania today. Last night was the first time she was significantly awake enough to talk to everyone and get up to date with everything that had gone on since she was injured, it turned out she woke up just in time for Lancelot's wedding the next day. Resisting the urge to face palm at her luck, Marie settled for just rolling over and face planting into her pillow. Today was going to be interesting that was for sure, at least with everyone's focus on the wedding she would be able to avoid the inevitable talk with Galahad for a little longer. It's not that she didn't want to have the conversation, its more that she didn't know how to do it. Conversations involving emotions were not her forte, the idea of trusting someone and being vulnerable enough to share her feelings had always been a no go, well apart from with Tania and Farica, but that was different.

'I didn't know it was possible to drown yourself in a pillow but you're doing a surprisingly good job.'

Marie just huffed in response and rolled back onto her back in response to her best friend. Looking up at Tania she couldn't help but be impressed, Tania really had perfected the fake happiness look over the years. If she didn't know any better Tania seemed as effervescently cheery as always, but she did know better and the smile wasn't even close to being mirrored in her eyes. Easing herself up into a sitting position she watched as Tania danced around the room humming to herself while opening the curtains and taking it upon herself to search for the perfect gown for Marie to wear. Tania really was embodying the idea of fake it till you make it.

'Ooooo who doesn't love a wedding?! I know you don't like dresses Marie but you are going to look stunning when I'm done with you. Injury or no injury you're going to knock Galahad off his feet, figuratively speaking that is not literally, I know how you react to touchy feely conversations so please don't actually punch him.'

Marie couldn't help but snort in laughter remembering the last time a guy made the mistake of professing his undying love for her. In fairness she barely knew the guy, he was standing way to close and even Farica said he deserved being punched.

'Ok how about I agree not to harm Galahad in anyway if YOU admit that you would prefer to be anywhere but at Lancelot's wedding to another women.'

Marie knew she was needling Tania, but Tania could only keep up the mask for so long before it started to crack and past experience showed that Tania bottling up emotions never ended well.

'Relax I'm fine. Your fine. We are all fine! Nothing to be concerned about in the slightest. Now what colour dress do you want? Silver or pale rose pink?'

Ignoring Tania`s total avoidance of the subject, Marie gestured to the rose dress. Even by her own standards it was a beautiful dress. The empire waistline and floor length pleated skirts flattered her smaller bust and highlighted her tiny waist while the dropped neckline and off shoulder sleeves made the most of her muscular shoulders, especially if she pinned her hair up in a French twist. Tania nodded along in approval before hanging it up next to the floor length mirror in the corner of Marie's room.

'What about you? What are you wearing Tania? Now that you've ensured I'm not going to turn up in a tunic and leggings you can start getting ready yourself.'

Tania just shrugged in response. `I don't know, probably something plain as to not draw attention away from the bride up on the dais.'

'WHAT?!' Marie stood up and shook Tania by the shoulders. 'No chance in hell. YOU my friend are going to upstage the bride and show Lancelot exactly what he's missing. Every man looking up at the dais is going to want you, every women is going to want to look like you and every child will want to grow up to BE you. Something plain? I'm outraged you would even consider it.'

Grabbing Tania by the arm and ignoring the fact she was still in her sleeping tunic, Marie marched her out of the room and down the hall to Tania's quarters. In a complete role reversal Marie was adamant she was going to pick the perfect outfit for her best friend to wear. Yelling at a guard to go and get Farica, citing an emergency, Marie strode in to Tania`s bedroom and deposited the latter on the bed. Now she wasn't great at fashion but Marie was confident she could find something, all she had to remember was that other than both being tall, their body types were completely different. Despite Tania occasionally admitting that she felt like an elephant next to her, Marie at moments found herself jealous of Tania's curves, for starters Marie could never wear a strapless anything and Tania did have a fantastic backside. Another downside of being different shapes meant that they couldn't share clothes; only shoes and boots….and weapons. Rummaging through Tania's massive amounts of gowns Marie thought she was going to end up trapped in the rails. If Tania thought she was drowning in her pillow earlier she should see her drowning in dresses now. Reacting to a sound at the door Marie lifted her head and smacked it on one of the many rails, removing herself from all the material she greeted Farica as she came careening into the room closely followed by Tristan. Realising that maybe she should have been more specific to the guard about the nature of the emergency Marie settled for a sheepish grin in return of Tristan and Farica's annoyed gazes once they realised that the emergency was outfit based and not anything a little more extreme. Not surprised when Tristan just rolled his eyes and left, Marie started to explain the situation to Farica who was trying to re-straighten her own dress. It turns out as pretty as a steel blue slim fitting peplum dress with a mermaid skirt is, it is not ideal for running in. Once finished re-positioning the top part of her dress back into place with its asymmetrical, one shoulder neckline Farica appeared to be resisting the urge to strangle Marie.

'FOUR CHILDREN. I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN TO GET READY. ARE YOU INSANE?!'

'If it makes you feel any better, Vanora has 12.'

Marie ducked as Farica threw a pillow in her direction trying not to laugh. Yes Farica was angry but she was also trying to suppress the urge to smile.

'No in fact I don't have four, with you two in my life I actually have six children. Gods knows how Vanora does it, I've been trying to get Jovian dressed all morning. What can I help you with Marie?'

Instead of actually replying Marie just waived her hands around gesturing at Tania and the countless dresses behind her.

'I can dress myself you know' Tania added grumpily. 'I got the message Marie, nothing plain.'

Marie laughed at Farica's look of horror at the suggestion of their mutual friend wearing something plain. At least she would now understand Marie's call for help. Suitably horrified at the idea of a plain dress, Farica made a decisive decision plucked a dress out of the masses, placed it on the bed before rolling her eyes and leaving Marie and Tania to it. Marie approved of the choice and by the looks of her smile, Tania did to. The main bodice and the skirt was a deep emerald green and made with satin. It had a deep -V neckline with thin spaghetti straps and was fitted down into a formal mermaid design with sweep train. For added modesty matching lace had been overlaid at the neck line along with long angel lace sleeves. It truly was the perfect choice, along with Tania`s hair pinned into an fishtail bun which will be completed and framed by flawless teardrop diamond earrings, Marie knew for a fact that Lancelot was going to find it difficult not to stare and reflect on the fact that she wasn't his.

It took another hour roughly for the girls to finish getting ready and with one final check in the mirror and playful hip bump, Marie was pleased to see a genuine smile on Tania's face. Wanting to keep the positive momentum going Marie suggested they walk down to the gardens where the ceremony was being held. The initial ceremony was going to be small and intimate before a larger more public celebration later involving the wider public. Marie couldn't decide which of the two would be worse. Small and intimate would make it difficult to avoid Galahad and THE CONVERSATION, while joining the royal family in public meant that she had to present herself as demure and feminine- trying to match the women who had been trained in public appearances their entire life. Needless to say that was not a priority growing up as a farmers daughter. Looking over her shoulder to Tania locking her quarters, Marie prayed that the day would be kind to her friend.

 **So I have a confession to make... I really wanted to describe what they would be wearing to the wedding but didn't want to just state it in one paragraph and as a result an entire chapter was born. I also think i'm trying to put off writing the wedding! I prefer writing in-between scenes not major ones!But i can only put it off so far so the wedding will happen in the next chapter.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Tania and Lancelot**

Fake it till you make it. Fake it till you make it. Even if your not ok act like you are. Important lessons Tania had been schooled in by her ettique tutor growing up, as well as constant reminders from her father that showing emotions was a weakness that left you vulnerable, and so here she was seemingly happy as can be and smiling from ear to ear while welcoming everybody into the gardens for the ceremony. She had initially presumed that Guinevere would be playing hostess but for some reason the responsibility had been passed along, something about her not feeling well. Looking up Tania caught the eye of Marie who gave her a cheeky wink and thumbs up while doing her best to hide behind Faricas brood. It seemed to her that Marie wanted to encourage Tania into the spotlight while dodging it herself. Tania did have to admit though that her gown was beautiful, she had never been brave enough to wear it before but having seen herself in the mirror she had to admit that she did feel and look amazing. Maybe Marie had been right, why should she dull her shine to make others comfortable? By looking like she did, she was proving to Lancelot and anybody else that wondered that she was confident in who she was and that she wasnt going to be anybody's second choice.

Embracing her confidence, Tania finished greeting the Knights who were last wandering in, and met their raised eyebrows with a playful smirk. Dagonet had practically dragged Gawain and Galahad away before they could say something stupid. If Galahad was surprised seeing her, Tania couldn't wait till he saw Marie. Noticing that the noise had lulled and everybody was taking their seats, Tania moved her way to the raised platform at the front. It had been built specifically for the wedding, it was a dark mahogany wood with a red rose arch. Other blood red flowers trailed the sides and up the aisle contrasting against the green grass underfoot and dark wooden benches. Taking her place up at the front Tania nodded to Guinevere who had only just arrived; barely recieving one back Tania couldn't help but feel that something was off. Out in public the queen normally shined, dazzling lords and ladies with her outgoing and charasmatic charm, but to look at her now she seemed like a shell of her usual self. Shaking off the blizzare feeling she just had, she watched her brother approach with both Lancelot and Merlin. She had zero idea why Merlin was here but she never had the foggiest why he did anything.

Looking at Lancelot now, she had to admit he looked good, really good in had always secretly thought he was at his most handsome when in his armour and loved the fact he carried dual swords. She always felt her stomach flip flop when she saw him like that and today was no different. Watching the three of them come towards her Tania automatically straightened and put her shoulders back. Lifting her chin she allowed her eyes to follow them coming towards her without showing she was interested, and it wasn't until they were right beside her that she acknowledged their presence. Before even turning around she felt his eyes on her, fixing her hair and brushing past her earrings, she continued to run her hands down the side of her dress as if to smoothe it down and she knew without even looking it had had the desired result, and that was partially due to seeing Marie and Farica attempting not to laugh. Turning as nonchalantly? as she could she turned to give Lancelot a mega-watt smile and a look that only he would know- in that she was challenging him to say something. She had to admit now that they were closer it was a lot harder to keep the smile going but she seemed to be doing a better job than he was and she nearly remarked that he looked like he was about to throw up before thinking better of it. Interrupted by Arthur's akward cough, both Tania and Lancelot stopped their silent conservation and turned to watch Valentina's entrance as the music started.

Lancelot thought he had his emotions in check, that was untill he entered the enclosed garden. The high pale stone walls seemed to simultaneously make him feel trapped and guide his eyes to the front where as it turned out Tania was standing. All of a sudden everything hit him at once he felt like he was stuck between suffocating and being sick. He adored Arthur,he really did, he was his best friend and brother in arms and he always knew he would do anything for him but right now he felt like this was too much. Was he really willing to do this for the sake of an alliance ? Is this what he really wanted? Because looking at Tania now he wasn't so sure. She looked so confident and relaxed, the fit of her gown accentuated every small movement she made and by the way she had seemingly captured everyone's attention, Lancelot knew he wasnt the only one admiring her. The fact that her gown wasn't overly complicated or bejeweled in crystals and embroidery only highlighted Tania's simple and natural beauty. Emerald was one of Lancelots favourite colours on Tania, he loved how it contrasted and emphasised her auburn hair. Part of him wondered if she was wearing it deliberately, continuing up the aisle and passing Marie who just smirked at him, Lancelot decided that even if it wasn't deliberate on Tania's part it was by her friends.

Reaching the dias he came to a stop directly behind Tania, which he soon realised was not the best place to stop. Slightly frustrated that Tania had yet to make eye contact with him, he waited and watched as she flattened her dress before slowly turning around to greet him, and even then she didn't say anything. She had a look on her face that he knew all to well, Tania was challenging him to say something, and for the first time the normal cocky confidence he had with her was gone. Thankfully Arthur's prodding meant that he didn't have to try and find words to say, as he honestly didnt even know how to convey his thoughts. Tearing his eyes away from Tania, Lancelot repositioned himself to the middle of the dias and turned to face his future.

If Tania had used subtlety to enhance her beauty, Valentina had done the opposite. Valentina had scraped her hair back into a perfectly straight high ponytail, as to not draw attention away from her dress. The off shoulder bodice embroided with silver and gold beading meant that no jewellery was needed as her slim waist, broad shoulders and long neck were notable in their own right. Her champagne coloured tulle ball gown flowed to the floor bringing further attention to her hourglass silhouette with further gold applique flowers creating a delicate yet sparkling finish continuing all the way back to her several meter train. As per usual she had used darker makeup to contrast against her pale smooth skin with heavy smokey gold eyeshadow drawing attention to the blue of her eyes. With contouring lining her sharp cheekbones, Valentina had settled for a nude pink lip colour enough to make a statement but not enough to clash with the rest of her makeup. Objectively Lancelot knew that Valentina was stunning and beautiful in ways that most women would be jealous, and up untill Tania's unexpected return he knew that he would have been more than thrilled to be with such a women. But despite knowing he should be looking down the aisle to his bride to be, Lancelot was fighting the urge to look to his right where he could feel Tania's presence. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath for the final time, Lancelot focused on the reasons why he was doing this and finally committed himself to the future he would now have, ignoring the ache in his heart where there would now be a Tania shaped hole.


End file.
